Legend of Zelda : Next generation
by Mage-Alia
Summary: *Complete!* Their nemisis has arrived but there's doubt in the loyalty of his closest servants. Will he be destroyed before he gets the sages?...R+R Please.
1. Chapter 1: A new age

Disclaimer: Unfortunately I don't own Zelda or it's characters. Never did, never will. But I do own Stephanie, Alex, Debbie and the others on the next generation team.  
  
Just a bit of a review on where we left off. Baldor has been pushed from Hyrule along with the remains of his army but he is mad and burning for revenge as he continues to plot about just how to find the piece of the tri-force that has gone missing from Hyrule all together. Link is no longer the prince along side Zelda and has cut himself off from the hyilians once more. Now living with the Koriki in his old home. Peace has lasted in Hyrule but the reappearance of the Triforce threatens to start another war.  
  
Will the alliance of Hyrule survive the next wave.  
  
Legend of Zelda: Next generation.  
  
Chapter 1: A new age.  
  
The blue portal is in front of me. I can see it swirling while it tries to pull me in. "Don't." I yell in my mind "I don't want to go leave me be!"  
  
BEEP, BEEP, BEEP, BEEP...  
  
The sound of my alarm clock cut's through my dreams. Slapping a hand on it it shuts up and I desperately try to find sleep again. Around me the house is waking up. Foot steps come to my door and my name is called. "Stephanie! Wake up, or don't you want to go shopping to today?" at the word shopping I sat bolt upright and lept out of bed. "No, No I'm coming." I shout through the door.  
  
Today was a special day. I'd finally saved enough money to buy the antique video game that I'd been looking for since I was Fourteen. Now I was nineteen and school had just finished for the year. I was free of the place forever.  
  
By the time I got changed the rest of my family were about to Leave so I ended up hopping out the door putting on my shoes and trying to eat my breakfast at the same time. "Oh Shit, Oh shit, Oh shit." I managed an audible mumble through the toast, that my sister translated for my parents.  
  
After going through the same routine for the last four years my swearing didn't faze them. They just frowned and pull out of the drive way.  
  
At the antiqe shop the teen behind the counter was happy to see me. I'd been friends with the boy Alex since the beginning of high school. One of the few friends I'd managed to keep.  
  
"Hi Alex." I greet him in a chirpy mood "Where's my baby?" That was the nickname I'd given the game when it was first brought to my attention by Alex. He grined widely as he unlocked the cabinet below the counter. "Here it is just like you wanted Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of time."  
  
My eye's lit up as I willingly handed over the money. "Make sure you come over this afternoon." I reminded him "Debbie's coming to so we can play it together." I left soon after and walked home instead of waiting for my parents. I'd become much fitter than I had been when I'd last played the game over four years ago.  
  
Getting home I found my other best friend Debbie waiting for me. "Did you get it?" She asked, painfully excited. She was just like me in almost every way and we had even been born two days apart in the same month.My smile was wide as I showed her the game we had grown up playing.  
  
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We had to sit around for two hours before Alex got to my place. "Come on." we pushed him inside and we all went to my room. "Get it out let's see it." Putting the game in the machine I turned it on and reached for the controller at the same time as Debbie and Alex. As soon as we all had a hand on the controller the screen shone a dark red.  
  
"So I've finally found you." 


	2. Chapter 2 : New world, New Game

(A/n) Sorry I took a while to get to the proper story but I had to introduce the new characters.  
  
Legend of Zelda : Next generation  
  
Chapter 2 : New world, New game.  
  
The screen changed from red to a picture of a man with dark hair and cold black eyes. His mouth opened wide as he flung back his head and laughed. "I've finally found you." those black eye's held a wicked glee as he stepped back and made movements with his hands.  
  
We all felt the pull as our hands stuck to the controller like glue. My left hand glowed with golden light as we were sucked into a blue glowing wormhole. All the way through we could hear the manic laughter of the black man.  
  
***************  
  
"It's done." an evil voice hissed to it's self. "The one to hold the wisdom piece is on her way to us." The owner stepped out of the darkness of the forest he and his army where camped by. A magic circle ready to receive the chosen one was drawn at his feet.  
  
He was anticipating his victory in the race to find the new barer of the triforce. But something had made him lose concentration for a split second during the rite that would bring the girl here. He bent all his will to fixing the spell but had that split second been enough to change the spot of arrival?  
  
He waited for an hour before he knew that it had. Sent into a frenzy the dark man said every curse word he knew. Now he'd have to fix this mess.  
  
***************  
  
I regained consciousness to the sound of birds singing.  
  
I groggily opened my eye's to see a canopy of leaves. Rolling over I looked and saw the trunks of many tree's stretching into the mist. I was lying on a bed of grass. It was trampled as if someone had been watching me sleep.  
  
I sat up carefully and looked around. On either side of me where Debbie and Alex. They were still unconscious like I had been. I moved across and gently shook Debbie. She woke with a shout and leaped to her feet ready to fight. She was a tae-kwon-do black belt.  
  
"Do you wake up like that all the time?" I asked siting cross legged on the grass. She blinked looked around then realised that she was in a forest. She looked down at me and gave me a funny look. Then she looked down at herself. "Stephanie, What's going on here?" She asked in a high voice. "Why are we in these clothes, and where are we?"  
  
The changes that had occurred in us had totally escaped my attention. "What do you mean these clothes?" I asked back. She gave me an incredulous look. "The one's your wearing. God, Steph haven't you noticed that you look like some thing from a video game, yet?"  
  
I looked down at myself with a quick glance and then back to her but then I registered what I'd seen.  
  
"Whoa, Where am i." Alex had woken behind me. I looked over my shoulder. "Hi Alex, nice of you to wake up you lazy lout." said Debbie some where above my head. "I didn't do anything what's going on? The last thing I remember is a freaky face on the screen instead of the game. I knew it was defective."  
  
Debbie, Who had been searching her pockets for the chocolate bar she'd half eaten earlier, sat down as Alex had said that looking thoughtful. "Hey wouldn't it be cool if we really where in the game..." It hit all of us. "You don't reckon we did get into Hyrule do you?" Alex asked the question for me.  
  
"Don't be ridiculous." Debbie snapped. "Then why else would we be in a forest?" Alex retorted. "Would you guys quit it, My senses are telling me where along way from home." They looked at me "Have I ever been wrong before?" I asked them.  
  
I'd earned a reputation at school as a physic because of my trust in my senses. Alex didn't question then neither did Debbie. "So assume we are in Hyrule, What area has a forest?" I knew the answer. When I was younger I'd been obsessed with the game and had made it my business to know every secret of the imaginary land.  
  
"Koriki forest." My friends chorused. I smiled, they obviously hadn't forgotten some of what they'd known. "Okay then can you identify the clearing we are in?" I knew the question was hopeless but it had been worth a try. "We're not far from Koriki village." I said for them.  
  
"Hey I wonder what time it is. Because maybe I could get a date with link!" Debbie piped up. Both Alex and I slapped her arms hard. "Don't make me tie you up and try to dunk you in water. Although we both know that if I did that you would end up five meters away having been repelled."  
  
"Why thank you," she retorted "I just believe you called me a witch, sorceress!" We grinned at the suggestion that she was a witch. Of course she did have a minor ability in fortune telling but I was the only one who could cast a working charm. At least in the human world.  
  
"Are we gonna' get out of here or not?" Alex was getting sick of the endless trees. I gave in "Okay, where are we." I muttered to myself as I thought of the layout of the parts of the forest I knew. "This way."  
  
*************************  
  
"WHAT WAS THAT!" Saria was stunned as she and Link felt the strange energy's coming from the lost woods. She and link had been talking out the front of her house when the firmlure feeling of a spell being cast had radiated round the village.  
  
"I can go check if you want me to." Link offered. He'd come back to Koriki village to stay after dropping his role as royal champion with-out waiting to see just which prince Zelda was to marry. She'd gotten to possessive like all the other's he'd saved and her presence had been smothering him.  
  
"I'll come with you." Saria said as he came back to the present. "What ever it is doesn't feel evil and it's coming this way. It must be a lost traveller or something trying to get out."  
  
They climbed up and out of the village and walked into the cool shade under the trees of the lost woods. Link ever careful loosened his sword in it's sheath. Following Saria they walked a good way in to the woods before the sounds of someone approaching came to their ears. Hiding behind trees link and Saria made for the noise. Coming to the edge of a clearing they could see three people walking through it.  
  
"How did they get this deep with out turning to stallfos?" Link asked Saria in a low voice. Looking back at the people he could see that one was most definitely Hyrulian but the other's looked alien with their small ears and strange features.  
  
The Hyrulian woman was saying, "I know where I am now I remember this clearing. If we go straight then..." Saria gave him an incredulous look as the woman went on to tell the others the correct way out of the lost woods. "How did she know that? Only the Koriki and you know the true layout of the woods."  
  
Link shrugged "Shh, Their coming this way." He sidled round the tree as they passed while Saria melted into her surroundings. They all stopped. First the hyrulian then one of the strange people and then other. "Did you sense that." The hyrulian woman asked the others. "No, but if you did something's definitely there." the strange red haired female went defensive looking round.  
  
"What ever it is don't attack for all we know it could be something that means us no harm and our main objective is to get out of here and find out if this really is Hyrule." the other male stranger said as the hyilian started to wonder from them. Link took a sharp breath. It was barely audible but the woman heard it.  
  
Her head turned sharply to face the noise and their eye's met. "Guy's I'm definitely certain now, we're in Hyrule."  
  
******************  
  
The evil spellcaster's plans have been destroyed. Find out what will happen as Link meet's Stephanie, Debbie and Alex for the first time in the next chapter : Discovering destiny. 


	3. Chapter 3 : Discovering Destiny

(A/N) Now I'm getting somewhere  
  
Legend of Zelda : Next Generation.  
  
Chapter 3 : Discovering destiny.  
  
The stunned silence stretched out while Link refused to move. The others had left the hyilian to deal with what ever she'd found. "You can come out you know. It's not like where going to bite your head off link." she stopped for a moment then added, "You too Saria."  
  
Saria reappeared behind her, giving her friends a shock. "Hey how did you know I was there?" Saria demanded hotly. The hyilian woman smiled at the annoyed Koriki. "Because I trust my instincts sage of the forest."  
  
Saria was stunned again by the woman's knowledge. "Well since you seem to know Saria and me so well would you mind introducing yourselves?" Link asked as he stepped out from behind the trees and walked toward them, though still wary.  
  
The strange female giggled while the woman introduced herself. "I am Stephanie and these are my friends Debbie and Alex." Both bobbed their head's to Link and Saria as their names where said, "We might need a little help getting out of the lost woods."  
  
Saria gave Stephanie an incredulous look. "I can say for a fact that you would have been fine even with out us." "You mean I was right about where we were." She punched the air, "Up yours Debbie I was right." The strange female Link now knew as Debbie scowled. "I just haven't played the game since I was sixteen." "Oh no. If I could remember that then you would definitely remember. You even had two copies of the game..." The blonde looked as though she would go on forever if given half a chance but the male, Alex cut in. "Steph, remember they don't know about that stuff." he cautioned the other two.  
  
"Oh yeah." Stephanie was a little dazed but then just smiled and turned back to Link flicking a finger up at the man. He made the same gesture "Back at you with balls on." Stephanie looked as though she was going at laugh her head off. Actually she was barely keeping the giggles contained.  
  
She calmed down again and spoke to Link. "You wana' walk with us?" She asked as the others started to turn round. "Okay." He said, earning a thump on the side from Saria as she saw his eye's flick over the strange woman's body. Shaking her head Saria caught up with Stephanie's friends leaving Stephanie waiting for Link to move fast enough to keep up.  
  
"How did you get in to the forest?" he asked more with curiosity than surprise like he had originally. "I don't know." Stephanie's reply was cautious. "One minute I was in one world and the next I wake up and find myself in the middle of a dirty great forest, no offence meant." she added as an after thought. "None taken, I just don't know how you could be from another world. I mean you are Hyilian aren't you? You've got the pointy ears and everything..."  
  
Stephanie's face showed only surprise. Her hands felt for her ears and she squeaked as she found the points. She turned stormy and raced lightly up to her friends grabbing the other woman by the shoulder and throwing her off balance and to the ground. "Why didn't you tell me I'd turned into a Hyilian?" She demanded as the woman smirked up at her. She tried to get up but Stephanie thrust a foot onto her chest to pin her back down.  
  
"Agghh" The woman on the ground squealed. "It's not that bad, you always wanted to be elvish on you are, now stop trying to take the shock out on me." Stephanie pulled her foot away, "Well you do have a point..." she was saying as a foot slammed into her stomach throwing her back into link.  
  
"Oof. I deserved that." She said then realised that she was leaning against link who had put his arms around her when he had caught her. Link was bright red in the face as he and Stephanie jumped apart. Meanwhile Debbie was bent double as she laughed hard. Stephanie was acting like a enraged bull at what her friend had made her do.  
  
"Debbie, stop laughing like a jack ass. Don't make me see what I can do here with my magic." The threat worked and Debbie shut up, eventually. "Oh Steph, I was just helping. I know how hard it is to get a boy friend in the real world..." she winced as Stephanie lost her temper and started to recite strange words.  
  
"Candle, Candle burning bright, Crimson fire now ignight!"  
  
The effect was instant as she pointed to Debbie, who in turn lit up like candle the magic fire licking at her limbs. She dropped to the ground and rolled until the fire went out while Stephanie looked at her fingers in amazement. "That was not what I had expected." she said hesitantly.  
  
"Whoa I wonder if you can go invisible here to..." Alex was cut off by a glare as Stephanie passed him. She stomped off into the forest obviously upset about something. Saria looked up as she passed Debbie. "Lets get you back to the village." she said kindly to the hurt woman and with the help of Alex started to move her to the forest exit.  
  
"Link go get the other woman will you." she said over her shoulder. Link was unsure that it should be him going but did so as Saria glared at him. Something the cheery Koriki had never had to do to link before. It was scary.  
  
"Okay I'll go." a horse giggle escaped Debbie.  
  
***********************  
  
"She likes him." Debbie crowed a healer fairy later.  
  
"What do you mean?" Alex asked absently. "Her reaction. It wouldn't have been that strong if I was talking about anyone else." She sniggered, "But she didn't have to use the candle spell. That felt ten times as bad as normal."  
  
"Maybe she's been practicing." Alex suggested. "No she didn't have the time to get that good." They sat thinking about it until Saria, who had been listening to the conversation with some interest, voiced her own opinion. "Maybe she had only shadows of power in your world. I mean according to link she's a Hyilian."  
  
"Now that is something I don't get." said Debbie suddenly. "Why did she change but not us?" that left them all stumped. "Well that is what we'll have to find out."  
  
*********************  
  
Link tracked Stephanie to a glade not far away. She was standing beside a double tree stump talking to a pair of skull kids. When they ran away at his approach Stephanie's head turned as fast as a frightened poe could fly away.  
  
"Oh It's you."  
  
She sounded disgruntled as she turned properly to face him. "Why did you storm off like that?" Link asked. Treading carefully on the subject, not wanting to join her friend as cooked as a dongo's breakfast. "Oh I hate it when she does that it's so infuriating, and how dare she even think that about me..." Link listened to the angry rambling's for some time before she wore out her vocabulary of interestingly bad words.  
  
"What's a matter?" He asked and this time no abuse poured out. The only thing she said was "Why would I tell you. It's personal." Link gave up trying to find out and just said that Saria had sent him to get her. "I might as well go back." She sounded sceptical still, "But on the up side it'll be a while before she does that again to test if I like someone...Shouldn't have told you that." she trailed off going red. "So how does she know how much you like the person in question."  
  
Stephanie gave in to his question. "The more violent the reaction the more I like them." Going red again she started for the ladder that lead to the next level and to the exit of the endless trees.  
  
Link caught up easily as she walked into the sunlight of Koriki village. "So what did that reaction rate?" he asked. She ignored not wanting to admit that that had been the most severe. Climbing down to the village they walked over to Saria's house. Debbie and Alex where outside arguing about something.  
  
They looked up as we approached. "I'll have you know that was the worst one yet." Debbie said instantly and Link snorted. Turning crimson this time Stephanie wondered if these truly were her friends.  
  
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It doesn't look good for Debbie getting that date now. What will link really think about the reaction test. How is Stephanie going to live down this humiliation! Find out in the next chapter. 4 : Challenge of wisdom. 


	4. Chapter 4 : Challenge of wisdom

Legend of Zelda : Next Generation  
  
Chapter 4 : Challenge of wisdom.  
  
"This sucks!"  
  
I was siting on Saria's roof stewing over the days events. Why did Debbie have to go and stick her nose into my business all the time. I knew for a fact that back in the real world she was... Let's just say she would kick me twice as hard as I'd hit her.  
  
"But I realise she's my friend, probably the only real one I had." My thoughts stopped dwelling on what was now the past and turned to the future. Why where we brought here? My thoughts clouded as I remembered the news report from yesterday.  
  
"Disappearances have occurred over most of the world today. The kidnapper has taken only girls around the age of nineteen and who have had some kind of martial arts experience."  
  
I was thinking deeply about this as I wondered if my situation and theirs where connected. The air started to glow round me. I looked up and saw a ball of black light. Staring back at me was the evil man who had been in the game. "You!" I gasped getting up and backing away quickly falling into a defensive crouch. "Yes me, Now why don't you tell me where you are so I can help you get home."  
  
The voice sounded kind but I could feel a layer of malice below the facade. "No," I spat "What do you want with me." "I want that which you possess." I was confused "I don't have anything so leave me alone." I was starting to feel scared and angry as I backed further away. I felt something well up into my chest. Tingling with the buried power I willed the man in the black portal to go away. I closed my eyes and concentrated harder. "Go away!" I screamed and a shout from the black portal echoed as it shut and disappeared.  
  
I fell to my knee's as Link and Debbie climbed up onto the roof. "What happened?" They asked me at the same time. I was sweating "The dark man that pulled us here, He want's something that I have but I don't know what it is." At the words dark man Link had frozen and was now staring at me in shock. "Oh no, Not again." he said callously. "Come on we've got to get you inside now."  
  
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"Why didn't you tell us you'd been brought here by Baldor?" Link was demanding to know. "Well one, Who's Baldor and two, you never asked." His expression softened as he realised that I couldn't possibly know everything he did. "Prince Baldor is an evil prince that tried to take over Hyrule last year." He explained, "We won, Barely. Baldor escaped with his remaining men but not before killing my friends. We sealed him away from Hyrule with the wisdom piece of the triforce but as we did we lost them." His eye's went a little dull. "Now no matter how hard we try we cant find them or those who hold them. Baldor has spent all his time trying to find them."  
  
I realised now with little difficulty what Baldor had meant when he had said that I had some thing he wanted. My hands shook as I pulled one armoured glove over my knuckles. A golden light spilled out into the room. "What is that?" Alex asked in a loud voice that was slightly higher than usual. "What Baldor was after." I answered sullenly.  
  
Silence roared in my ears as I looked at the fresh tattoo of the triforce on my hand one of the three triangles where coloured a deep gold. Link was amazed. He just stood there staring unseeing at the mark.  
  
"You have it." he managed to mumble. His voice became stronger. "You have it!" He was grinning from ear to ear. Punching the air he turned to Saria and picked her up and swung her round before putting her own and turning back to me. "Oh you don't have any idea how much of a relief it is to finally find you." he said and totally out of the blue he hugged me. "Wha..." I spluttered as he squeezed me and let go.  
  
Alex and Debbie where both confused deeply about Links reaction. "What do you mean?" They asked "Are you saying that she's the next one chosen by fate to carry it."  
  
"But doesn't that mean she's supposed to rule or something? I mean from what we now the one who holds the wisdom piece is destined to rule Hyrule and become the seventh sage. Is that right?" Debbie was starting to remember what I'd tested her on so many times before.  
  
Link and Saria where unsure, I scrambled away from Debbie. "You remember the scariest things don't you and why would I want to be a queen anyway?" "Well that settles that problem." Saria piped up "If she doesn't want to be a queen then why push Zelda of the throne." "Now all we need to worry about is Zelda's reaction and how we are gonna' keep you hidden from Baldor. There's no doubt that Zelda has already felt your presence so there are probably people on the way to get you but the castle isn't that safe."  
  
I was tired from all the days events. To much had changed to quickly. "Well what ever you do I don't care. I just want some sleep." Putting the armoured glove back on I curled up in a ball and fell asleep.  
  
*********************  
  
Link's prediction of someone coming from the castle to get me turned out to be correct. Two days after we'd arrived in Hyrule a squad of guards found their way into koriki village. They had started to search the village and where not being to careful about it either. They reached link's tree house where Debbie and Alex where staying and where shocked to see the pair of them emerge from the shadows of the building. They'd been expecting link but he was at Saria's again with me trying to form a plan to keep me safe.  
  
We heard the crashes from outside and rushed out. We saw all the guards lying on the ground ten yards from the tree and the figure standing at it's base. "Debbie! What happened here I hope it wasn't you who did this." I stomped over and she explained to me what had happened. "Well they barged in on me so I kicked them out." A grin brightened her face as I gave an exasperated sigh.  
  
Meanwhile Link had managed to bring one of the guards round. He jumped up looking around wildly then spotted Link and brought up his spear. Link didn't look to worried. "Where are you hiding them?" the guard demanded. He was young and foolish, Link reached across and easily disarmed him. "Who sent you and what where you told to look for." He asked in reply.  
  
The young solider answered with growing confidence. "I was sent with a squad ordered to look for someone here and take them back to the castle to see queen Zelda." Link looked across at where Alex and Debbie had taken up their positions either side of me.  
  
"Rouse the others then." Link ordered the man. The solider went about his work methodically. Waking first his friends then the commander. The commander repeated what the solider had said. "Link you can't hide them from us." the commander tried appealing to him, But link just yawned. "I haven't tried hiding them from you. Any way it's up to them if they go or not."  
  
"And that's right. If we wanted to see the queen we'll go in our own time thank-you very much." Debbie piled on the sarcasm. The guards noticed her again and the closest to her backed away. She smiled smugly. The commander of the squad hadn't realised that we where who they'd been sent to retrieve. He was reluctant to go near Debbie again.  
  
"I...I...I'm sorry miss but we have orders from her highness to bring you to Hyrule castle as soon as possible." "And where telling you we don't want to go." I'd finally spoken up. I pressed them into submission with the force of my new found magic.  
  
They gave in and Link made them leave the forest. "You know she'll send others." he told us. I nodded "I don't trust the soldiers. If anything I'd rather go without a large escort like that." "Are we still going to carry out the original plan?" he asked. Alex and Debbie looked at us. "We've decided that I'd be safer in the Gerudo fortress with an army of assassins round me. Link's decided to pull in a favour they owed him." "Will they let me stay to?" Asked Alex, "From what I remember they don't like men." "That's right, they don't but I'm sure Stephanie and Debbie can vouch for you once your inside." Link confirmed.  
  
Alex swallowed hard. "Well if we're gonna' make this detour we'd better get moving. Hyrule castle is a full days ride away."  
  
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So Stephanie has the wisdom piece of the triforce that Zelda lost. Find out what goes on when they reach the castle in chapter 5 : Jealous royalty. 


	5. Chapter 5 : Jelous royalty

Legend of Zelda : Next Generation  
  
Chapter 5 : Jealous Royalty.  
  
We left Koriki village within the hour. Link was leading Epona as we walked out into the bright light of the field. "Oh this is gonna take all day isn't it." Alex complained. Link had given him a short sword that he had brought in Termina. It now hung from his waist in a well preserved sheath.  
  
"Yes." I said to him as I whacked him on the head. "So don't complain, you'll just make it harder for the rest of us." He shut up as Debbie giggled. We had decided to see queen Zelda and take the detour through the city.  
  
Setting out we spent most of the day walking fast as we tried to reach the other side of the field before nightfall. I didn't fancy sleeping outside on the hard ground. We talked a little when we started but soon our talking became boring as we ran out of things to tell Link about our world. I told him of my incredibly strange relatives and my home.  
  
Soon enough we ended up introducing him to the game I spy. That was all we did the whole way. We reached the great drawbridge that marked the entrance to Hyrule castle town just before sunset. The guards gave us mixed looks. Curiosity, Loathing, awe and respect. Opening my mind the way Saria had taught me I listened to the feelings of those round me. But at the same time I studied those with me.  
  
Debbie, Warned by link, was being cautious about how she let her feelings show. She looked a lot like one of the Gerudo. But not that she minded that. Alex was fascinated with the sights around him. His head whizzed from side to side as he took in every detail. But as for link? Link had with drawn into him self. He was still conscious of his surroundings but his thoughts and expression where guarded.  
  
Closing my mind once more I looked about the market square. The occasional person nodded to link, who acknowledged them with a nod of his own. Many stared as we passed. I could feel their eyes pressing into the back of my head.  
  
The four of us found relief from prying eyes as we walked through the hills that surrounded Hyrule castle. "Be careful how you act in the castle." He repeated "I used to live there when I was champion but I sort of exciled my self after the last time we fought Baldor to get away from Zelda so I have no idea how they'll act to my being there." he said sheepishly. "Let alone you."  
  
We walked up to the gate that crossed the path. The guards on the other side took a while to respond to our call. A particularly fat man was the one to answer. He came out of the guard house grumbling something about a dream when he looked up and saw us.  
  
"By the goddesses!" he wheezed at the sight of us "Link you've returned. Are you going to stay here again?" The fat man was getting excited. "No I'm sorry but I won't be staying long. I've only come to escort my friends to see Zelda then I'm taking them to a safe house in the Gerudo valley."  
  
"Well then by all means go in Link." The gate keeper was cheerful as he let us in. Once out of the man's hearing I whispered to Debbie, "That was just scary. What is that guy on." Debbie giggled earning a look of warning from link.  
  
People came and went by us as we strolled up the path and into an open lawn. The Castle stood before us. It was twice as majestic in real life. Greetings to Link became more numerous as we approached the second draw bridge. I stole a glance at Link and noticed with out fail the guarded look that he wore. The interior of the castle was furnished in royal blue and gold with bright tapestries covering the walls. Tall windows let light flood into the corridor and the whole place gave off an aura of peace and happiness.  
  
But I felt I'll at ease. Something about the castle was less tangible, aside from the stone walls. But the air had something hard backing the peace. People and servants that lingered in the main hall but drew to the side as we strode toward the giant double doors of the throne room.  
  
They where opened as we approached by unseen means and we entered the domain of queen Zelda. She sat on the dais at the head of the hall wearing the crown of Hyrule and beside her was a man in the some type of magnificent clothes he, I gathered, was the new king.  
  
The crowd of people split as link strode boldly up to the dais and bowed deeply to the pair. We stood back against the crowed that had closed in behind us as he addressed them in my stead. "Greeting's majesty's." He started formally. "I hope you excuse my long absence from your court."  
  
Zelda was looking at him with glowing eye's while the king barely looked at him. A kept a civil face but to my sight he was a sour green with envy and loathing. His sight passed from Link to me standing behind and an expression to quick for me to read crossed his face. What ever it had been it bore only ill wishes.  
  
His eye's then wandered to Alex and Debbie in tern. I could see him straining to see Debbie's face under the hood. I glared icily at him trying to come up with something to make him avoid us. I couldn't but he turned back to the conversation between Link and Zelda.  
  
"I've been lucky enough to find something that will help Hyrule's cause greatly but it need's to be discussed at a later time..." He was saying. He and Zelda talked a little more before she ordered the servants to attend to us and Link. He had had to remind her we where there and we where soon walking down the vast corridors to the guest quarters in one of the towers.  
  
*************************  
  
"I don't like that king." My comment was blunt as I paced round my room with Alex and Debbie for an audience. Debbie nodded in agreement, while Alex spoke up. "I watched him the whole time. He's a bloody pervert." Debbie for some reason found this funny. She rolled back onto my bed and laughed hard.  
  
We both glared at her then gave up letting her laugh. "I know what you mean." I said empatheticly in reply. "I wonder if I could come up with something to teach him a lesson." I fell in to a thought filled silence as we all though of our own grievances. "I know." Alex was struck with sudden inspiration, "We could always cast some kind of curse to keep him from looking at anyone."  
  
His suggestion opened my mind to hundreds of ideas. My words came out unbidden as a recited something for them to remember.  
  
Hide in shadows, Hide from sight Teach a lesson taught by fright Eye's apon unwilling tormented by pain Till the spell be lifted again.  
  
"Perfect." said Debbie as she emerged from he frantic giggling. "He's not going to know what hit him." I smiled at her. I was about to reply when a knock came at the door. Link entered when Alex answered followed closely by Queen Zelda and a tall woman with silver hair and plates off armour covering most of her upper body.  
  
"Greetings Queen Zelda," I bowed to her then nodded to Impa. "And you to sage of shadow." I correctly identified the Sheikah. The queen's uptight body guard tensed at the words but nodded back. "Well it seems you already know these two." He went on to introduce us.  
  
"Zelda, this is Stephanie, Alex and Debbie. They where brought to Hyrule by Baldor via a magic portal. Saria and I found them in the lost woods three days ago. But with them we found something that's been missing for the last year."  
  
At that point he had walked them over to the chairs in one corner and sat down. We were standing round them and as he'd finished speaking I pulled off my gauntlet once more and showed it to the Queen and Sheikah. Zelda was amazed as she looked closer at the mark. Impa remained impervious standing beside the queen's chair.  
  
"How did you get the piece of the Triforce?" She asked keeping Disappointment out of her voice. "It was supposed to return to me. I could feel it and I was sure that if the person holding it where to come in contact with me it would return." a sour note escaped in her voice, "But it won't will it." She concluded bitterly.  
  
Link and Impa looked concerned as I with drew my hand and replaced the gauntlet. "I don't know any more than you do about how I got it but with an attitude like that your dooming yourself to misery." She stared at me with wide eye's before I clamped a hand over my mouth in horror wondering what had made me say such a thing.  
  
Link tried to distract the others from me as I took a few tentive steps back. Impa stilled Zelda before she could rise and I took my hands away from my face. Debbie was shaking hard with silent laughter that made her hod fall back from her face. Zelda looked as angry as a child cheated of sweets as she submitted to Impa and link's reasoning.  
  
I made a point of keeping me mouth shut and my hands behind my back. Alex looked a little anxious but hid it well.  
  
Zelda and Impa left soon after that. Impa had given me an apologetic look as she left the room. Once they where gone I slumped in a vacated seat and stared at the fire burning in the grate. "I should he known she was going to do that." Link was saying. "Zelda is now threatened by your presence here. I'll be glad to leave tomorrow. I don't want to get caught up in this again."  
  
***************************  
  
The door swung open quietly on well oiled hinges and a figure slipped into the room. I watched the outline of the person as it passed against the light from the waning moon that shone weakly through the window. It crossed the room swiftly to stand beside my bed as I watched through narrowed eye's. It bent over reaching a hand out to touch the lump in the blankets.  
  
"Looking for some one." I stepped out of the shadows and lit a candle illuminating the shocked face of the intruder. He remained silent as I stood there. He was dressed in the uniform of one of the servants but as I looked at his face I recognised a well bred look in his face. "What is your business in my room in the middle of the night." I demanded. The man was obviously a little tipsy as he tottered over to stand before me. I recognised him immediately. It was the King!  
  
Angrily I started chanting the spell.  
  
"Hide in shadows, Hide from sight..."  
  
His eye's widened in fear.  
  
"Teach a lesson taught by fright..."  
  
He scrabbled away from me franticly trying to reach the door.  
  
"Eye's apon unwilling tormented by pain..."  
  
I bent my will on him to finish the spell.  
  
"Till the spell be lifted again!"  
  
He howled in fright and ran out the door the moment I released him. Seconds later Link was at the open door with Debbie and Alex right behind. "What happened?" They asked. "Intruder." I said simply. Debbie and Alex looked at me with sudden understanding. "What were the effects?" They changed the question and understanding crept into Link's face as he came to know just where the spell he had felt being cast had come from.  
  
He had a serious look on his face as we explained our fore thinking. "You didn't have to go and curse him like that." he said as the laughter in his eye's belied his serious expression. I shrugged, "I don't care what happens to him. From now on I'll just turn into a writhing monster every time he looks at me or any other woman." Alex even found the urge to laugh irresistible.  
  
Link pulled him back to earth. "Well we'd better be leaving now before he can get some of the guard together and come after Stephanie." I was already way ahead of him. "Lets get going then." I said quite willing to leave the castle after the reaction of the queen and the curse on the king.  
  
*************************************  
  
Well royalty shouldn't act like this! A jealous Queen and a seriously demented king. Maybe it's a good thing that Stephanie placed the curse on him. Find out if our hero's escape in the next chapter, 6: A Home found. 


	6. Chapter 6 : A home found

Legend of Zelda : Next generation  
  
Chapter 6 : A home found.  
  
The three of us gathered what little we kept on us and followed link out of castle, stopping only to pick up some things from the still kitchen and spell some of the stable entrances shut. It was easy slipping past the guards. We slipped silently past the sleeping gate guard and up through the trap door onto the roof and up into the hills. Skirting the town we where out in the field before the hour had passed.  
  
We went a fair way in the dark and found Lon-lon ranch at sun rise. The ranch, despite the early hour was abuzz with activity. Stable hands turned out the horses and started to milk the cows as we walked up to the main farm house. Debbie was excited about being at Lon-lon ranch. Alex was complaining about his sore feet. I glared at him to shut him up. "I'm not in the best of moods either Alex so don't get like that around me."  
  
Malon came to the door as Link knocked. "Oh Link." she was certainly pleased to see him. "Why don't you come in. She smiled to us and stood back from the door. She bustled about the kitchen as Link explained why we were there. "Tisk Tisk." Went Malon "You know better than that Link. I'm surprised you went back to the castle and with her. You know what the princess is like these days or did you go and hide in the forest again. You haven't been seen round here for almost a year."  
  
Link was trying to defend himself against the growing tirade but couldn't get a word in. Though after about fifteen minutes of the constant strait forward scolding she stopped to breathe. Link took the opportunity to talk. "Malon," he started "First of all it wasn't me who cast the spell on the new king it was Stephanie, and she had a go reason to and..." I cut him off "And he'll be cringing in his chambers like a baby till I take it off."  
  
Malon gave me a funny look. "What did you do exactly?" she asked curiosity getting the better of her. "Oh just a spell so he can't look at another female. It's insurance, he wouldn't last a day around the Gerudo." a smile lit the corners of Malon's mouth.  
  
Link and Alex where getting uneasy with the way the talk was going and sought to change the subject. "So about horses. Can you lend us any to get to the Gerudo fortress?" Malon answered immediately "Oh won't you stay? Not even for one night?" Link bulked at the idea but didn't let Malon catch on.  
  
"Sorry Malon these three are not safe out here anyway Nabooru owes me a favour." Malon looked a little disappointed. She agreed to loan us the extra horses eventually. They would be returned by the Gerudo once we arrived. But as we walked toward the stables she pestered Link to stay.  
  
"NO." He said forcefully then in a lighter tone "I can't. I wanted to help them so now I have too. I won't stay." His words where final and Malon gave up.  
  
**********************  
  
Once in the saddle we rode away from Lon-lon ranch. To avoid any contact with pursuing guards we took a back way out of the ranch. Travelling was much easier by horse. The Gerudo valley came into sight just before midday and none of the guards hindered us once they saw link.  
  
The fortress was much larger in real life. And there where a lot more guards around. Nabooru herself came out to meet them. "Greetings link, it been a long time since you visited the fortress." She nodded her head to him then turned and bowed to me. The movement put me off guard as she addressed me. "And greetings to you. You will find yourself more welcome here than at the castle. I was informed of you midnight activities by Impa. You are very welcome among us."  
  
Her voice had a middle eastern accent to it I noticed as she walked through the fortress ahead of us attempting to explain the layout to my friends. "Did you understand all that?" She asked before she left us. I let fly with the truth and told her that I already knew my way around.  
  
Nabooru wasn't surprised "I would expect nothing less from the seventh sage." she noticed Debbie for the first time. "And you girl what are you doing away from your post?" she asked in a firm tone. Debbie gaped like a fish out of water and I rushed to explain.  
  
"Nabooru this is my dearest friend Debbie. She has never been to fortress in her life and I assure you she is not one of your guards, although she bares a resemblance that make's her one of your kind."  
  
Nabooru excepted the explanation with a nod. "Then maybe she would like to get to know her kin." It dawned on me that Nabooru's words held a ring of truth. Debbie was a Gerudo, that's why she hadn't changed like I had when we came through the portal. "That would be something to do after you've rested." Nabooru answered for her. "From what I hear of you adventures in Hyrule so far I think you need the rest."  
  
*************************  
  
Clang...  
  
The swords met and rebounded with a crash as the combatants wound through the movements of a battle dance. one of the combatants swung his sword in an arc to block a deadly blade that had been aimed at his neck and thrust out with his shield. The other was surprised at the move and obviously hadn't expected it.  
  
The first combatant continued with his attack. Watching I could hardly see the blade as his arm blurred and for a moment disappeared before it came into sight with the blade poised at the throat of the other combatant.  
  
"Oh don't make me go through that again." Groaned Alex as he stepped away from Link's blade and sat down heavily on the floor panting. "Well I told you that if you wanted to learn how to use a sword you had to learn quickly and the fastest way to teach you was to make you fight." Link explained patiently as he walked over to the side of the room and put his sword back in it's sheath.  
  
"I know, I know." Alex groaned from the floor. Beside me on the bench sat Debbie trying not to let the frantic giggles escape, I was smiling despite my self. "At least your making progress, Alex." I sypathsised, "Unlike some people." "Oh it's not my fault that I had to start what I did." Link defended himself.  
  
Debbie and I had started to teach him Tae-qwan-do but because of the years he'd spent training with a sword he was as stiff as a board. Getting to loosen up was like getting a mule to walk without a rope to yank. He was reluctant to leave his sword out of his sight. "You trust to much in that hunk of metal." I retorted "I'll have you know this "hunk of metal" as you so aptly named it has saved my life more times than I can count."  
  
I shook my head as my smile widened. "Don't forget you've got to let every thing flow." I repeated the words that our teacher had taught us, then let the argument slip knowing that I'd won.  
  
Debbie was enjoying herself immensely. In the week and a half that we'd spent in the Gerudo fortress she'd become more and more like one of the fierce worrior's. I was accepted as a Gerudo because my talents, while not as good as Debbie's, where different and I'd already been daubed as the wise one by the guards. That made me uneasy.  
  
Alex was proving to be quite a handful.  
  
Debbie, Link and I had to keep a careful watch on him. The raging hormones of a teenager made it difficult for him to grip the concept of the rules we had set out for him. That had been one of the conditions of entry, but unfortunately what ever I tried. Spell's, potion's borrowed from a Gerudo and even just knocking him unconscious had all failed me.  
  
The exposure to me over so many years made the magic I tried slip off him, The potions didn't last long in his strong immune system and knocking him on the head had only worked once. My punch had knocked more than a few brain cells lose. I'd found him sleeping on the floor of Debbie's assigned room an hour later while she stood over him, yelling at him to get out of her room. But Alex had just rolled over and sucked his thumb.  
  
The teasing he'd received from the women in the fortress had rendered him docile. At least for now.  
  
I'd explored the fortress from top to bottom finding all the secrets I knew where there. Sneaking round like a shadow I'd found the training grounds. Link spent most of his time there going through the firmilure obstacles with long practiced ease. He had sensed my presence the first time I encountered him in the maze.  
  
"Who's there." he had shouted when he'd felt my gaze on the back of his head. I'd been waiting for him to get far enough away so I could slip through the door he'd just come from. He'd swivelled round on his toe drawing his sword and looking in time to see my cloak flick round the doorway.  
  
He'd given chase and found me sitting on top of one of the statue deep in part of the maze an hour later. He joined me sitting on the statue and just blurted out things that surprised me. He'd been meaning to talk to me since the incident in the lost woods but the chance had evaded him. "So the reaction shows how much you like someone." he made me confirm it for him. I'd nodded and faded a little out of view but his attention was squarely on me so I had no hope for just disappearing into thin air.  
  
So I settled on transparent.  
  
He'd told me of all that he'd been through and how he'd been forced to be the hero, starting with how he'd had to destroy the monster within the Great Deku Tree and finishing with his most recent adventures against the evil prince that had been terrorising Hyrule in Ganondorf's place.  
  
It was obvious that he'd kept all this bottled up for a long time. "I don't feel like being a hero all the time like people expect me to. Sometimes its alright but I don't want to fight for the rest of my life." I knew an old grievance when I saw one. I'd actually become visible again and talked to him after that.  
  
Allot of disturbing things had surfaced as a result of that talk. I remembered every second of it days later, but now at least I had some idea about who he really was.  
  
****************************  
  
A/N : Okay this is starting to get a little sketchy. I suppose my supply of creativity is starting to dry up.  
  
Read what happens next in the next chapter...  
  
Chapter 7 : Disturbing facts. 


	7. Chapter 7 : Disturbing facts

Legend of Zelda : Next generation.  
  
Chapter 7 : Disturbing facts.  
  
"You will come to me."  
  
The hiss was heavy with evil as its owner chanted the incantation.  
  
Power is as owner does, Binding force that power resides. Bring the one of wisdom to me, Let her spirit know the call.  
  
Bring to me, come to me, The power bind her will, she will be mine.  
  
The magic heeded the call and its dark glitter filled the chamber as the summoning was completed. The evil one basked in its radiated darkness as he let his arms fall to his sides. The wise one would be his. He could feel the spells success. The trap had been set, for the moment she set foot in any part of Hyrule field she would be caught in the summoning.  
  
But still the forces of the sages held his body and soul at bay. He could not look to see if he would have to wait or if she was even there. He'd just have sit in his rising anxiety until she came. If she ever did. But then even that immortal hero wouldn't be able to save her.  
  
**************************  
  
I stiffened in my seat as the dark power flooded into being. It was far from my current position in the very centre of the Gerudo fortress, but I'd now come to know the feeling of a spell aimed at me.  
  
"What's wrong?" Debbie, sitting beside me, had sensed the flicker of my alarm. Alex looked over a worried expression on his face. Link's head had flicked up like a deer's. They'd all felt some thing different.  
  
The evil feeling subsided but I was uneasy. "A spell," I blurted aloud, "It was a spell aimed at me." Link confirmed my suspicions. "Yes it was a summoning spell. Powerful too." Alex and Debbie gave us a frightened look. "So do you know how this spell will work?" asked Alex. I shook my head "No, all I can sense is that it's aimed at me."  
  
I could have told them more about the spell but they didn't know that I'd been receiving lessons in magic from one of the older Gerudo. I'd also been having vivid dreams about the man who had summoned us to Hyrule. Swathed in evil I'd seen him in every detail from the cruelty in his eye's to the minute etching of runes on the plates black armour that he wore on his elbows and knees.  
  
The memories left me as I heard my friends discussing the spell. "...But what would happen if he got a hold of her?" Debbie was asking Link. The look on his face as he looked at me told me more than any word could. Unfortunately both my friends saw the look to and the god of trouble stirred his magic.  
  
A flicker at the corner of Debbie's mouth. I saw it, Link did to, and both at the same time we shot of in her direction. Behind us we heard the echoing cackle of Alex as he laughed himself sick.  
  
Debbie dodged, trying to avoid us. Link and I had her cornered. "I wont even give you the chance to let off that wise crack." I said as she stopped and looked around.  
  
"Whoa, if I didn't know any better I'd say that the same principal went for both of you." Her grin was so irritating as she looked over my shoulder and saw something that obviously was going to work to her advantage. Link, who was standing in the opposite corner, stopped abruptly, his eye's widening as he saw clearly Debbie's intent.  
  
I faded quickly from sight and spun around to see at least twenty Gerudo standing in the doorway behind me. "Oh Shit. No you don't." I roared and speeded toward her as fast as I could. Debbie took a deep breath and started to shout "Link and St..." But she was cut off.  
  
Totally helpless she looked up at me as best she could with her head beneath my arm and a hand over her mouth. "I said I wouldn't let you say it didn't i." I said simply.  
  
*****  
  
Alex was still laughing. I let go of Debbie and shoved him with my foot until he let up. "God you guys are a pain in the ass." I exclaimed with exasperation. "If only you guys would let up on that subject. I can't always be there to kick your can so why do you insist on doing that?"  
  
My words found no hold in the pathetic pair that had been dragged through the portal with me. "Oh don't be so hard on us Steph." Alex tried to appeal to me, "We we're just having some fun. We didn't mean any harm."  
  
"Well you discided to taunt me over a touchy subject." I retorted. "Well you do have to admit that you look much better now than what you looked like in year nine." I shook my head sadly. Obviously I was wasting my time. I stormed out of the room, no one dared follow.  
  
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(A/N) Even I have to admit I wouldn't mind reading about some Action right now. (Shrugs) Oh well I might as well just keep writing.  
  
******************************  
  
During the night I was awoken by a tiny sound from out in the hall. The door swung inwards on well oiled hinges. There was no light out side. I rolled over pretending to sleep. Who ever it was crossed the room quickly and I felt a weight on the edge of the bed as they sat down.  
  
I knew then who it was. There was only one person in the fortress who was that big. "What do you want Link?" I asked. I felt the shocked jump. He'd obviously thought that I'd really been asleep. "I just wanted to know. Do you really know about the summoning spell?"  
  
I rolled back over to face him. "Yes, if I go into Hyrule field at all I will be taken to where ever Baldor is." Link nodded, "If you are taken then we won't reach you in time. As I said Baldor has been banished from this land and was being held out by the triforce of wisdom's power. He will be very far away."  
  
I soaked in this information then looked back at him. "Then I'll just have to avoid the field wont I. I still remember all the songs to take me to the warp pads." Link took a sharp breath. "You know the songs? Only Zelda and I know them all." He looked a little flustered. "Just how much do you know about my journeys through Hyrule and Termina?"  
  
"Well let's see. In Hyrule I know about the spiritual stones, how you got them, the triforce, how Ganondorf got to the sacred realm and how you got put to sleep. I know all about the songs and your weapons the monsters you faced, how you defeated them, who the sages are, the proper way through the temples..."  
  
I sat there for the best part of half an hour telling him what I knew. Link was staring at me in disbelief at what I was saying. To demonstrate that I knew what I was talking about I even whistled one of the songs.  
  
"You really are good." he half whispered, "Do the others know the songs to?" I thought for a moment before I answered. "It's been a long time since I last tested them so I have no idea how much they remember." Link excepted this with a nod "Maybe we can put your knowledge to good use."  
  
He looked at me again and jumped off the edge of my bed, stunned. "W...What's happening." I'd sat bolt upright my eyes had clouded and I was starting to speak in a voice that wasn't my own.  
  
Time for peace has fled, the evil fly's again. Old enemies arise from beyond the horizon. Be warned for the coming of that enemy is imminent. The dark prince will return once more.  
  
With the final word I flopped forward unconscious against link as he lunged forward to stop me from falling to the floor.  
  
************************************  
  
"Shhhh, you'll wake her." "How long has she been out?" "Almost two days." "Why where you in her room to start with?" "I had to ask her some thing."  
  
I woke to the sound of my friends whispering above my head. Alex and Debbie where cross examining Link about how I'd lost consciousness. "And what did you have to ask her, hmmm." Some one on my left scuffled a boot as he said, "Don't you start with that." "Oh well I'll just have to ask Stephanie when she wakes up." Debbie sounded smug.  
  
"She won't tell you either." I said in a loud voice, sick of whisperings. I opened my eye's to see their surprised faces hovering above me. I sat up, "Are you okay? We were talking one second then you just blanked out." The worry in Link's voice was evident despite what he did to cover it up.  
  
Debbie doubled up in silent laughter, Alex grinned and slapped him on the back. "Well now your one of us, We've all got roped in like that at some point." This obviously confused Link, "He means that he and Debbie have been in similar situations around me before." I explained for Link's benefit.  
  
Realisation dawned on his face. "Oh so you mean that this isn't the first time you've passed out like that." he grinned at himself then just stood there listening. I willed for Alex and Debbie to leave. They looked at me then went. As soon as they where out the door Link launched into a recount of how I'd passed out.  
  
"You sat up and started to say these strange words then keeled over." "What did I say?" I demanded to know. He repeated them for me and I almost fainted again. "He's on his way then. He didn't trust the spell. Baldor will come again and he won't be alone."  
  
************************************************ With the evil prince on his way how long will our hidden hero's have until war breaks out, and what will they do then. Look out for the next chapter.  
  
Chapter 8 : Tiding's of battle. 


	8. Chapter 8 : Tiddings of battle

Legend of Zelda : Next generation.  
  
Chapter 8 : Tidings of battle.  
  
I was out of bed with-in the day and pouring over a map of Hyrule given to me by Nabooru. The dreams I'd been having made sense. Baldor was coming to Hyrule and with his prior knowledge of the country it would be even harder to keep him at bay.  
  
Since I'd woken Link had stayed around. Alex and Debbie ended up doing most of the running around the fortress for me and soon we had the full cooperation of every Gerudo. I continued to have the dreams, but these had more of a focus. They showed all kinds of flashes. Most where of fighting, although most showed strange soldiers creeping around a forest.  
  
The war sequence of dreams would always be followed by the same dream that I was blind in darkness but my other senses where alive. I felt heard and smelt things that disturbed me more than I realised. But soon after I'd wake up, only to write down every aspect of the battle I'd seen.  
  
My days took on a pattern as I trained with Link and my friends and then ate with Gerudo scouts as I brought them up to date about what I'd seen. They took my dreams seriously and where more than willing to go into the field for me. After that I'd usually have to find something to do, and that came in the form of Link.  
  
He was teaching me the things I didn't know about Hyrule, and that was a lot. We usually sat on the statue in the training grounds but most of time there was no talking at all.(*^_^* If you catch my drift.)  
  
Debbie and Alex had become more serious with the tiding's of war and now trained constantly. It was peaceful for a while but all that changed when I realised the pattern the dreams where taking. Looking down at the map I could see clearly, attack formations all aimed at the forest from the southern border.  
  
I sent scouts out that day and only one returned. She reported the enemy had arrived.  
  
*********************************  
  
"Damn!" I roared, making my friends jump. We where pouring over the map trying to find some thing to use to our advantage. Baldor had remembered well the layout of the wood's and was going to take Koriki village. According to Link it had been their base outside the castle when Baldor had attacked the first time. "Well it isn't that bad. Maybe he forgot some thing." They didn't see the same way I did when it came to war. Nabooru ended our worries.  
  
The forest would be the perfect place for us to ambush the enemy. With the help of the Koriki we might even be able to wipe the soldiers out with out them noticing. A plan formed quickly after that, but all the races would have to help.  
  
That soon became our primary worry and I volunteered to go and ask for their assistance. Link was going too he could help me get through the volcano once we reached the crater that would be the hardest part.  
  
********************************  
  
We left the fortress using the bolero of fire. Link played the ocarina while I whistled along with it. We felt the melting heat of the volcano's crater rush up as we landed on the transport pad. The stone was hot under our feet as we ran for the bridge that had been repaired.  
  
The air was cooler in the caverns of the goron. Link stopped to let me through first as the rock slid away from the opening. Darunia, standing on the other side, looked surprised as link stood there panting from the heat and I sat there trying to regain what little breath I had.  
  
"Well brother, this is the strangest entrance you've made yet." The goron reached down and pulled me to my feet. "And who have you brought with you?" He asked curious. Link took it on himself to introduce us. "Ah Darunia, this is Stephanie. She's a traveller in the realm, although when we went to see Zelda, Well you know what I mean." Darunia nodded grimly, "Stephanie this is Darunia, he's..."  
  
I cut him off. "He is Darunia, Leader of the gorons, known as big brother and the sage of fire." Darunia was surprised but Link just nodded to my words. "Little brother, she's done her home work. You'd best not let this one slip through your fingers." "Don't worry Darunia, I wont."  
  
I went bright red and grinned guiltily at the huge rock man and the blue eyed hero of time.  
  
********************************  
  
It took a while to explain the war strategies to the goron. They where as slow as a Gerudo is a fighter, which is saying something, But most of the time they got the general idea. Not all of them were as smart as Darunia. it must have something to do with his contact with the sage's.  
  
We spent the night in the goron's caverns sleeping on very uncomfortable stones. In the morning we rushed off to the lost woods in the hope that we wouldn't have to break our teeth on the stuff that they called food.  
  
It took us a while to walk through the lost woods. Most of the skull kids would try to get us lost and it was hard to concentrate with them shouting boo at you every time you passed a tree. We found Saria in the village and she called everyone together.  
  
We told them the news and despite their great age they showed themselves to be the children they really where. No matter how tough they acted.  
  
It took a lot of reassuring to make them believe that every thing would be fine and by morning we had a scout force that knew the forest like the back of their hands.  
  
After that Gerudo came swiftly to protect the village. They wouldn't be ambushed this time. The koriki lead out groups of Gerudo to set the ambush we'd planed.  
  
As we secured our plans one problem came into play.  
  
Zelda.  
  
****************************************************  
  
Well its back to the castle for our hero's to face the result of Stephanie's spell. What kind of reception will they receive? Find out in the next chapter...Deep secret's. 


	9. Chapter 9 : Deep secrets

Legend of Zelda: Next generation  
  
Chapter 9: Deep secrets.  
  
The prelude to light echoed through the huge hall stunning those inside. A swirling vortex appeared on the warp pad leaving two figures facing the door when it disappeared. The hyilians stood staring as they walked out the door in to the light wondering how exactly they'd managed to get there.  
  
********************************  
  
Link and I walked out into the warm morning air leaving the safety of the temple of time behind us. As before people ogled and called out, but this time we where both on guard. I was sure that Zelda would have gotten into a right rage after she found Torlin. Hopefully he wouldn't be a problem anymore. How wrong I was.  
  
I kept my face hidden as the gate guard admitted us. Thankfully he hadn't noticed me. Walking up the path I tried to look as unobtrusive as possible not quite sure what to think. Walking into the castle and down the hall we found the throne room once more. There weren't as many people present this time as we approached the twin thrones. Only one was occupied as we stood before them.  
  
Zelda looked down on us, when I drew back the hood of my cloak she gave me a look saying plainly that I was not the person she wanted to see. "What are you doing back here?" she demanded to know "You've some nerve, returning after what happened last time."  
  
I felt every pair of eyes in the room focus on me. "Well obviously you need to keep a better eye on your husband." I retorted forgetting that she was royalty. Both Link and Impa, who was present in the room foresaw the impending battle and herded the courtiers out of the room before the real argument broke out.  
  
Zelda bristled at my comment and reared angrily. "Well the likes of you are all men need to abandon everything." She shot a look at Link and I hardly missed the meaning. "Ha! You and your husband are exactly alike. You're just as bad as he is. Maybe it's you that need's the babysitter."  
  
We proceeded to hurl abuse at each other in an all out war. "Oh by din," Link exclaimed "they are acting like two children. Just like a pair of twins!" Impa beside him made no effort to stop us but shot Link a look. "So you finally noticed. You are more observant than I made you out to be."  
  
Not far away I heard the comment and stopped mid sentence. I looked at Impa not believing what I'd just heard. Impa just stood, ignoring me. Zelda, Flushed in the face, Noticed I'd stopped and asked "Now what are you planning to do?"  
  
I shunned her aside and walked over to Impa and link. "Did you just say what I thought you said cause there's no way I could be related to her!" I jerked a thumb in Zelda's general direction. Zelda got worked up again. "Why would I even want to be related to her." Zelda argued in return.  
  
By then Impa had had enough. "SILENCE!" she roared and we both fell silent in shock. "I know this should have been said earlier but it's true, you are twins."  
  
**************************  
  
"WHAT!?" Zelda and I said at the same time.  
  
Impa just shook her head. "Sister's. When your mother had you, your father thought that as twins you would fight over the throne. So he gave up Stephanie, Avelia really, to the fairies so that she would never become a problem. The fairy's sent her to earth to keep her from harm but somehow she's come back."  
  
Silence pressed on my ears as we watched the smug Impa walk away. "Well this does put a new twist on things." I broke the silence once the Sheikah had left. Sheepishly Zelda met eyes then looked away each trying to think what this would mean now. Link was restlessly anticipating our argument to break out by was surprised when I grinned and drew a scroll out of a bag and slapped it in her palm.  
  
"I hope you can forget that long enough to consider what I have to say. I can to tell you that the one Link calls Baldor is trying to get back into Hyrule. He's escaped his prison and now wants to find me as the holder of the Triforce of wisdom. He brought me here you see. For the last week I've been having dreams of the enemy army. The Gerudo who scouted it out for me has proved them true. They are coming from the southeast border. (In other words through the forest.) Baldor has a slight advantage over us because we don't know exactly what he knows of the forest, but he's mobilized a spell to transport me to his side if I step into Hyrule field. If link is right he'll be able to use my mind as a guide."  
  
"You know it's a pain in the bum not being able to ride through the field." She laughed and took the scroll "Is this a map?" she asked. I nodded. Link just stood at the side of the room staring in disbelief. He was shocked at how fast we made up for our differences. It seemed that by arguing we'd knocked some sense into each other.  
  
Zelda though still had one grievance. "Oh, would you please take the spell off my husband. He hasn't come out of his room in a week and he keeps complaining that the maid is an evil beast." Both Link and I broke into snorts of laughter. "That proves it works." link gasped between breaths. I grinned and slung an arm around Zelda's shoulders and steered her out of the throne room toward Torlin's chamber.  
  
The courtiers in the hall looked surprised that we'd apparently become best friends, we talked and laughed as we passed followed meekly by link. He still couldn't believe what he was seeing.  
  
In Torlin's chamber we found him cringing behind the bed peaking over every now and then to see if the beasts that plagued him had gone. When I entered the room he squeaked and hid his head under a pillow. "For heavens sake Torlin get out from behind there and face me." I said, exasperated. I'd made it an order with power behind it, now he crept out on his hands and knees muttering. "I won't look, I won't look." I smiled knowing that it would be a long time before he forgot that lesson.  
  
He stopped at my feet and I crouched to his level, grabbing his chin I made him look at me while I recited a counter curse.  
  
Lesson learnt and new within, Release your hold on my kin. Problem settled, forgiven in grace, Look once more upon kind face.  
  
The moment I released him from my grip he collapsed to the floor, tears of relief flooded down his face as he looked up at Zelda and me. "I think it didn't quite work." he mumbled audibly, "I'm seeing double." Zelda and I just looked at each other and laughed.  
  
*******************************  
  
It took a while for Torlin to accept me as his sister-in-law, but it wasn't just him, everyone else in the kingdom where still coming to terms with it.  
  
Zelda had granted me access to the soldiers under her control and it was hardly a problem to fill them in. Unlike the Goron or the Koriki, Hyilian's had been trained to my kind of tactics. It wasn't long before we where headed to the last place on my list. Zora's domain.  
  
Link had warned me of what Ruto had become. I believed him without hesitation. From what I knew she was the most possessive of all the girls who had proclaimed link theirs.  
  
We entered Zora's domain via the tunnel from lake Hyilia. It was the easiest way to get me there after all I didn't have a blue tunic like Link did but magic made up for that. Surfacing in Zora's domain I was not surprised to feel a slight chill to the water, apparently it was still suffering from the effects of the freezing.  
  
As soon as we where out of the water Ruto was all over link. I sensed him almost panic, he admitted as much later, "I can stand fearless in the face of danger but when it comes to her she scares me hands down."  
  
It was not as easy to get the help of the zora. Ruto kept fluttering over link; it's hard to concentrate when you feel the insane urge to incinerate someone. I don't think those thoughts where entirely my own, someone else in the room had the same feelings, I suspect it was Link.  
  
Eventually her father gave her the order to leave him alone so she contented herself with giving me dirty looks. It wasn't hard to know what she was thinking. I'm sure she threw a tantrum after we left. I think it was the roaring screams that gave it away. Now all we had to do was organize those we'd gathered and whoop Baldor's ugly butt.  
  
If only it could be so easy.  
  
*************************************  
  
Well I finally put the chapters back up (Yay!!! ^_^) and I've gotten a new computer. I'm hoping that I'll be able to put up chapters more regularly. Watch out for chapter 10 - Confrontations. 


	10. Chapter 10 : Confrontations

Legend of Zelda: Next generation  
  
Chapter 10: Confrontations.  
  
Our troops all arrived a few days later. We dispersed them in the forest Parallel to the border. Zora's stayed near the forest pools while Gerudo and Kokiri took to the trees. Debbie and Alex ranged between the groups, helping the Goron's around some obstacles. I was with a mixed force ahead of all of them scouting out the army.  
  
Link and I crouched behind a tree looking ahead to where the fires of the enemy where just visible. We counted at least twenty, there was more beyond these. I turned and slid down the trunk of the tree to sit on the ground, closing my eyes to block out the world. "They are to firmly entrenched." I whispered as Link sat beside me. "They've been there for a while, can you see the mounds of dirt? Those are from trenches, and they will be manned."  
  
I heard tiny noises as he shifted closer. "Well then why don't we draw them out?" "To hard," I responded "They will get suspicious. We don't need that." He was silent as we thought over the situation. "Oh well," I finally broke the silence with a whisper, "Let's get back to the others and tell them what's going on. They might have more luck coming up with something."  
  
I stood quietly, looked around the tree and slid from shadow to shadow back in the direction of our own camp. The others all eagerly awaited news. I reported and set everyone to thinking about it.  
  
It was a rough night too. We couldn't light a fire so the cool autumn air bit into us, I ended up heating a stone to curl around. To add to our discomfort it started to rain, the temperature dropped suddenly and rendered my stone useless. I huddled between the roots of the tree I lent against and felt the earth give way beneath me. I gave a soft shocked cry and tumbled into a warm hole beneath the tree trunk. Link's head appeared at the opening as I looked around.  
  
To my vision the tree pulsed with magic and life. The roots had formed walls over time and left the burrow like structure. It looked big enough to hold two, or maybe three people.  
  
Link slid inside. He pretty much filled the rest of the burrow. "How did you find this?" he asked. "I think that there might be more of these." I responded, crawling to the hole I stuck my head out and hissed at the woman sleeping near by. "Go press around the base of the near by tree's." I instructed. "Look for burrow's like this one. They should be dry enough to sleep in and I doubt that anyone will notice them so get the people on watch to get some sleep." My orders where carried out and soon every person in the twenty strong force was hidden away.  
  
I slid back down beside link. The clouds and the rain covered the moon so it was almost pitch black. My ears flicked to pick up every sound over the pounding of the rain, my other sense's had sharpened suddenly. I could hear Link's breathing, he was awake and, I think, watching me. I lent back against the wall and closed my eyes. They where useless in the dark as they where.  
  
I opened them again and saw the reds and oranges of his body heat with my magically enhanced vision. "That's better." I mumbled. Link heard me and asked, "What is?" "I can see you now." I said. He didn't say anything else. I curled up beside him and watched the red and orange color spread to me. Just before I fell asleep I noted that in places the color had gone almost white, especially in his face. It made me certain that I didn't want to know what he was thinking.  
  
******************************  
  
When Debbie and Alex arrived in the camp the next morning I found that I missed the human world. I admitted that much to them. Surprisingly enough it was Alex who came up with an idea.  
  
"Why don't we cast a spell, Our magic's strong enough and we've pierced the veil between worlds before haven't we?" I was shocked with the simplicity of it. "Come to think of it," I started carefully (I didn't want his ego to over inflate) "That might just work."  
  
By midday it was decided that we would go back to Kokiri village and try out the idea. It wasn't very hard to come up with a spell.  
  
Summon knowledge from afar, Guided to us by mount or star. Let us see what be hidden, Tell us now what's left of home.  
  
I wasn't sure about that wording though, but the words where itching to be said anyway.  
  
We set the boundaries for a magic circle and hoped for hell that what ever came through wouldn't upset what little peace we had before Baldor broke through. We stood together in a circle and repeated the spell. For a moment I thought nothing had happened. Everything was still and quiet, seconds, then minutes passed until a crashing roar echoed from Link's house scaring every one within ear shot of the noise.  
  
Debbie, Alex and I where off toward the noise in seconds. We broke the circle and climbed the tree house's ladder as a bright light emitted from the windows and doors of the top level. We shielded our eyes as we looked inside and saw everything whirling in an invisible wind, a strip of blue light broke the air and widened as something the size of a child was hurled out.  
  
It flew out the door and slammed into me sending me reeling backwards over the edge of the balcony as that something fell to the wooden boards. I fell through the air only to be caught before I hit the ground.  
  
I looked and saw what had caught me. It had been link. In my mind I had a vision of him running flat-out toward the tree house. I remembered the thing that had come out of the dimensional door and struggled to get out of his arms. He put me down and I rushed for the ladder once more. At the top Alex and Debbie where poking it.  
  
"Get back." I warned them as I crouched beside the small figure. I rolled it on to it's back and saw clearly the features of a boy from my past. "Oh my god." I muttered under my breath. With a new sense of urgency I checked and found a pulse. Good, he was alive.  
  
I wondered just how he had made the transfer from one world to another when the words popped into my mind again. The spell. The boy stirred beside me. "What happened? where am I?" he asked looking dazed as he sat up. Alex and Debbie came forward again this time with Link close by. The boy looked to each of them in turn with a disbelieving stare, finally his eyes found mine and the word came unbidden from his mouth. "Stephanie?"  
  
************************************  
  
Well who is this strange boy that Stephanie seemed to know? and what connection does he have with Hyrule and our hero's. Find out in the next chapter.  
  
Chapter 11: New Players. 


	11. Chapter 11 : New players

A/N : Now's your chance to get to know some of the characters.  
  
Alex- Make me a fire mage, Make me a fire mage. (Whingeing)  
  
(Mage alia say's no for the fifteenth thousandth time.)  
  
Alex- No fair how come Stephanie gets to use magic but I can't?0_o  
  
Mage Alia- Because I said so.  
  
Debbie- Am I going to have magic?  
  
Mage Alia- Yes.  
  
Alex- That is so unfair  
  
Mage Alia- It's meant to be, I'm evil ^_^  
  
(Debbie starts laughing)  
  
Debbie- Are you going to put Alex and Leila like we planed.  
  
Mage Alia- Hmm, Maybe.  
  
Debbie- Well if you try to put him with me again I'll kick you.  
  
Mage Alia- See you're already making a commotion and I won't let you  
  
help me ever again if you even try.  
  
Debbie and Alex together- Yes Stephanie. *Evil looks*  
  
Mage Alia/ Stephanie-(Irritated) Oh shut up!  
  
****************************************  
  
Legend of Zelda : Next Generation.  
  
Chapter 11 : New players.  
  
****  
  
The tent radiated dark energy as Baldor flexed his power. It was happening. Hour by hour his power grew. Hour by hour the binding spell of the sages crumbled toward oblivion. He was free again, to kill and destroy as he pleased. Baldor knew that it was no longer necessary to sustain the summoning spell on Hyrule field. He would be there soon enough to claim his prize from the girl's rotting carcass. His plan might just be saved without his own tampering.  
  
He grinned evilly. This might just be fun.  
  
***********************************  
  
"Harley." I confirmed his thinking. Harley smiled a little, his tiny face loosing some of it's confused look. I studied him properly while I explained where he was, just like he'd wanted to know. He'd shrunk considerably since I'd seen him. His dark hair was like it had been cut with a bowl. He had the same mud brown eyes as before but he was also looking different wearing the green clothes of the kokiri. He reacted excitably when he noticed Link. He seemed to be the most memorable thing about the game we'd all played.  
  
Suddenly my spell sense flared. I looked around me wildly as I felt the summoning spell lift from the field. I was on edge as it flared again. An intense blast of an evil power breaking away from a snare, I leapt to my feet, Link, Alex and Debbie's eye's all following my movements. The third time was a blast of magic to my mind just like that which had come from Harley when he'd arrived.  
  
The mixed feelings and powers pressed on my mind so strongly that I fell hard to my knees. Link dived to my side as I collapsed to the floor, the pain to powerful even for me, he caught my head. I opened my eyes again and spoke "It's to strong. You feel it to don't you." I convulsed like I had once before my eye's glazing over.  
  
Bonds have broken, Time flows again. Fate has made a move, The circle is back where it begun. All seven in Hyrule, Till war be won.  
  
I passed out as all present gave each other frightened looks over my head. "Has she done this before?" Debbie asked urgently. Link nodded "Once, remember that time in the fortress?" Debbie and Alex understood then that she'd made another prophecy like this before.  
  
"We've got to wake her. She has to explain."  
  
************************************  
  
The hyilian stared up at the canopy of leaves above him. The air was still. No sound, no movement. Something was definitely wrong, as if the jump from his bedroom to a strange forest hadn't been a big enough clue!  
  
Mathew sat bolt upright looking round. It was impossible. How could the room change like that? A sound brought his whirling thoughts back to earth. A pair of old school mates where walking toward him. "Ah Mathew, you're awake now we can get going."  
  
Mathew stared at Daniel's bright smile. "Where the hell am I?" Mathew demanded to know. "Ah, why did he have to ask that?" The girl next to  
  
Daniel said with a sigh. "To tell the truth we're not sure ourselves." "Ah you might not know Leila, but I do." Daniel corrected her.  
  
Both Mathew and Leila looked at him "Where are we then?" Mathew demanded again. Daniel just grinned like an idiot and said "We're in Hyrule." "WHAT?!" Leila and Mathew shouted simultaneously. "Hyrule, You know magic game world." They looked at him blankly "Honestly, you people have probably never touched a Nintendo in your life, I'm talking about the game Zelda for your information."  
  
A little of the confusion bled out of their expressions. "Oh do you mean that place you, Alex and Stephanie where always talking about." She rummaged round a pocket in her small bag, "Did this thing come from there?" She inquired giving Daniel a scrap of paper that looked like it had been through a wood chipper. The teen looked down on the scrap. Clearly drawn on it was a crimson dressed Zora. "Where did you get this from?" Daniel asked his cousin.  
  
"I don't remember." Leila was some what dazed, "Some one gave it to me." "Well what ever it is it's not important, what's important is getting out of this damn forest." protested Mathew. He stomped off but Daniel didn't think to go after him until it was to late. "Oh well," He thought to him self. "He'll just have to live as a stalfos then."  
  
******************************  
  
"Madeline, I don't want to go to school today." My friends where having trouble waking me up again and I kept mumbling nonsense in my sleep. They ended up leaving me to wake by myself. I did eventually and Debbie and Alex started to ask questions faster than I could come to full consciousness. I made them repeat everything twice before I got the gist and said in a fuzzy way. "Oh that," They gave me weird looks "The others have finally arrived." I said before dropping of to sleep again.  
  
They woke me again "Who is it? what's going on?" they asked. "The seven." I said as if it was common knowledge. "Who are the seven?" Alex and Debbie where getting really cheesed off. "Us, the next generation of sages." I said before mumbling "Can I go back to sleep now?" Debbie and Alex hauled me to my feet.  
  
"We're going to find them now!"  
  
************************************  
  
I walked along disgruntled. I was having a bad day. First our spell went haywire then I got knocked off the balcony of Link's tree house before I passed out and now I had to trudge through the woods looking for the people we were sure crossed over from the human world, but worse was the fact that I had to drag Harley along. What more I had a headache that would make a migraine feel weak.  
  
I felt like kicking the little runt, he was to freaking loud. He kept running from tree to tree laughing squealing and making a fuss, not to mention that I definitely wasn't in the mood for babysitting and his new fairy kept buzzing round my face.  
  
I was just starting to forget the noise when two shadowy figure's emerged from the side of the clearing. Link and I went for our weapon's, Link's sword was out of it's sheath before I realised who it was.  
  
"Daniel? Leila!?"  
  
************************************  
  
Well all the players have finally arrived. The field is set so let the games begin, as some will say. Don't forget to read the next chapter...  
  
Chapter 12 : Transformations. 


	12. Chapter 12 : Transformations

Legend of Zelda: Next Generation  
  
Chapter 12: Transformations.  
  
"What the heck? How did you get here Stephanie?" Daniel was in shock. "I'd be asking the same of you if I didn't know better." "What do you mean?" asked Leila not taking her eye's off Link. I could almost see her...  
  
"Leila, stop that and pay attention." I demanded and she jumped guiltily. "That's better." I said curtly before turning to Daniel "So, do you remember what you where doing when you where transported?" I asked hoping to unearth a way to reverse the spell, but then I thought of what I'd apparently said after I'd passed out.  
  
"Stephanie? Stephanie are you listening?" Leila's voice sounded like it came from far away. It drew me back to the present and I realized that I'd zoned out. "We forgot to mention that Mathew is here to, he looked weird, just like you." "Yes," confirmed Daniel, "But he's off in the forest somewhere trying to get out. "Link gaped "Then we'd better hurry and find him or your friend will become a stalfo's."  
  
We didn't have time to even turn around when the sound of bushes rustling told us of their arrival. "Hey guy's look who we found." Alex shouted steering a young male hyilian into the clearing. Mathew looked around confused "Didn't we just come this way?" I shook my head. I knew the forest was confusing but this guy was plain clueless.  
  
I turned to lead them out when howling in the distance made me think against it. I heard a noise just beyond the clearing and drew my weapon just as an exhausted Gerudo warrior burst out of the bushes and shouted a warning. "Quick call everyone back, Baldor is finally moving and he's destroying everything in sight."  
  
A wolfos jumped out behind her and before we could help killed her with one swipe of its claws. It rounded on us but we were ready. I thrust my hands out before me and shouted "Elimaris." A Bright ball of light started to form before it exploded and sped of toward the wolfos. It caught the wolfos tail as it jumped to evade it and the beast fell to the ground. Link darted in then and cleanly finished it off before it could recover.  
  
"What was that?" Mathew gasped; Leila was looking a little green. "That was a wolfos." Said Harley a matter of factly from his hiding place behind Debbie. Debbie didn't like having the little pervert behind her so she kicked him out into the open. The kokiri regained his composure and stood sulking. "It's not safe here anymore." Link reminded us all. I nodded in agreement and set off beckoning for the others to follow.  
  
Alex, Link and Debbie caught up quickly, "We have to get out of the forest. Send messengers to all the clans people in the forest and tell them to get out and block the entrances. Alex can you take Daniel and check the forest temple." He nodded and dropped back taking Daniel with him. "Debbie can you get all the Kokiri out of the village and into the temple. Save some to be messengers, take Harley."  
  
She gave the boy a look of intense dislike but they left together all the same. Finally I faced Mathew and Leila. "Um, You guy's will have to come with us to the village because you don't know your way around yet." They accepted this with little complaint. They where both looking a little I'll at ease with the forest.  
  
*******  
  
I heard Leila gasp as we got to the village. It was supposed to be a beautiful place but now it was under siege. "Stay back." Link warned them as I rushed down the embankment past retreating worriors to join in defending what was left. Saw Debbie go past "Change of plan." I shouted, "Get them out, all the way out and don't let them come back into the forest."  
  
I didn't hear her reply as we where attacked by a stalfos. "Bloody hell." I swore as Link rushed past to take care of it. I slapped my hands together and drew them apart. A lightning bolt bridged the gap. "Out of my way." I roared as I hurled it with all my strength. People dived out of the way as quick as they could. It sped toward the horde of stalfos that had just entered the clearing. They didn't get out of the way and ended up a pile of charred bones and twisted metal.  
  
"Whoa!" Daniel had appeared beside me. "You've got to teach me how to do that." I was about to reply when a silence fell over the remains of the village. I joined them looking down the large clearing as the dark prince Baldor emerged from the forest.  
  
******************  
  
Baldor laughed at his prey's expression. She stood out in the crowd of worriors, spell residue hung in the air around her body and her spirit blazed with life. Baldor knew from that moment he hated her. It wasn't difficult for that dark emotion to find a place in his black heart. He walked through the crowd, scattering people here and there. It was still silent until the woman broke the spell. "Every one get out of this forest now." she shouted and everyone awoke from the shock of his arrival. They all ran leaving the girl, that damn toy of the goddesses that they called a hero, two young women, three young men and a child.  
  
They looked almost like the sages.  
  
That knowledge shook Baldor to the core as he advanced on them. He narrowed his mind to the single purpose of retrieving the Triforce pieces. It was a mission his predecessor, Ganondorf, had failed to complete.  
  
He reached out with a spell grasping her and pulling her away from the earth. The others shouted out in shock. The one caught in the spell struggled. "Baldor let her go." one of the young men shouted before he put his hand above his head calling the words to the only spell he knew:  
  
"Candle, candle burning bright, Crimson fires now ignite."  
  
He brought his hand down to point at Baldor as a flare of fire shot out of his palm flying directly at Baldor. A magic screen turned the spell aside. "Was that your best weakling..."? If he had anything else to say it was lost, the man, boy really, had charged toward him in the wake of the spell and attacked with his bare hand's managing to nock Baldor over before he was flung away.  
  
But Baldor felt his concentration on the spell wane and the woman dropped to the ground, landing on all fours before springing to her feet and calling for the others to follow as she escaped. The man disappeared too as Baldor tried to regain his scattered thoughts but by the time he had they where gone it was too late.  
  
The dark prince Baldor had been thwarted 'again' by a bunch of disorganized teenagers.  
  
********************************  
  
Alex- ^_^ Hee Hee I got to use magic. (Dancing)  
  
(Mage-Alia pokes him in the ribs with a pole through the bars of his  
  
cage.)  
  
Mage Alia- Don't get to cocky you've still got a long way to go before I  
  
let you use magic properly.  
  
Debbie- Yeah where going to make you suffer.  
  
(Mage Alia nods in agreement.)  
  
Mage Alia- Let's get back to the story.  
  
*********************************  
  
We ran through the forest. Alex was limping slightly as we arrived at the last possible way out of the ruined forest. "Looks like where going for a swim." Debbie said in a cocky voice. Link was the first to wade into the water. He gave his zora tunic to Daniel so he could go through.  
  
Daniel went with link to guide the way. Link came back and helped the others one by one until only Alex, Leila and I remained in the forest. Time was running out so I dived in and went through without the zora tunic. My lungs where burning with the effort but Link helped and soon I was climbing out on to the bank of the pond. Link was just about to go through again when two head's bobbed to the surface. One was Alex but the other...  
  
I was lost for words. Looking at me was one of my friends as I'd once seen her long ago.  
  
Leila was a Zora!  
  
*********************************  
  
So Baldor's back in Hyrule.  
  
(Debbie- More like stuck in the forest though ^_^) (Mage-Alia- Shut up Debbie.)  
  
Look out for the next chapter...  
  
Chapter 13: Remembrance. 


	13. Chapter 13 : Remembrance

Mage Alia- Ok Debbie, today you die!  
  
(Mage Alia starts to chase her round with a sword.)  
  
Debbie- what did I do? What did I do?  
  
Mage Alia- You know what you did and if you say that again I'll beat you too more than a bloody pulp.  
  
Debbie- Oh well anything is better than the cage.  
  
Mage Alia- Don't give me any ideas...  
  
  
  
Legend of Zelda: Next generation  
  
Chapter 13: Remembrance.  
  
"Why are you looking at me that way?" Leila wanted to know. "Don't worry about that now." I said hurrying them out of the water before Link threw a bomb at the stone block and it crumbled, falling to block the last exit from the forest.  
  
I looked back over at my friend's from the human world and saw that nearly everyone was staring at Leila. I gave her a quick glance before I forced the others to move along. She was looking at her new fins in wonder as her skin started to turn a soft greenish blue colour.  
  
I was distracted for a moment when I heard the sound of Link's ocarina rising above the noise of the falls. The unmistakeable sound of Zelda's lullaby almost put Harley to sleep. He was rudely awoken when Debbie kicked him for resting his head on her leg. The fall's parted and Link turned to us. "Who's first?" He asked.  
  
The guys had no trouble getting over; they just jumped recklessly as ever. Debbie didn't have any trouble with it, neither did I but Leila was fretting. "Oh no I'll get my hair wet." she was complaining. "You don't have any anymore." I said calmly and Link and I just grabbed a scaly arm each and hurled her screaming form across the gap. We'd just jumped when the noise crescendo and it roared in our ears.  
  
As we walked out of the short tunnel my friends got their first glimpse of zora's domain. It was huge. The water sparkled clear as glass and I could see the zora swimming underneath the surface. "They don't even disturb the surface." Mathew was saying as I jerked my head away from the spectacle, I started looking around for the missing zora.  
  
My eye's narrowed as Princess Ruto came up behind the group. She was making for the very end of the line where Link was standing... "Oh no you don't." I muttered under my breath.  
  
A clear wall sprang up between the tomboy princess and her prey. She let out a frustrated growl at the sight of it. I looked around to see who had done it and saw Debbie. Our eye's met and she winked.  
  
I turned back to Ruto with a wide smile spread across my face. Link hadn't even noticed the silent war going on behind him. He'd just gone off deeper into zora's Domain in search of the king, who unlike in the game was a bit more active.  
  
Ruto stormed off in a huff, throwing a dirty glare at all of us. But her gaze lingered on Leila and for a moment I thought I saw a hint of recognition in her face. She disappeared after that. Probably sulking, I didn't concern myself with her; I just herded Harley and Mathew along. They'd been staring at the zora with fierce looks of concentration on their faces. "Get moving." I'd hissed in a deadly voice and they'd yelped and ran to catch up with the others.  
  
****************************  
  
"So you are saying that this evil man has returned?" King zora was being very understanding, we'd just as good as told him that he had to leave his home or die defending it, and so far it was going down well.  
  
I saw Ruto again an hour later. This time she made her presence openly known. Link visibly slumped as her watery voice shouted his name. "OH Link!" There was nothing I could do. Not only did everyone know she was there but her father was right in front of her. I was expecting the order for her to get off him from her father but it didn't come. He was looking from Leila to Ruto and back. He said in a dazed voice...  
  
"How... how did the princess Eliana return?"  
  
****************************  
  
"Grrrr Damn them!" The roar echoed through the forest. Baldor had been trying futility for the last day to get out of that infernal forest. But its hold could never be relinquished. A mighty blast rocked the earth for miles as Baldor fired another ball of dark light at the blocked exit but it immediately turned into a stonewall.  
  
"MORE TRICKS." he yelled, thoroughly pissed off. This was going to take longer than he thought.  
  
****************************  
  
"Princess Eliana!" We all said at once. The thing about her being missing wasn't as shocking as the princess bit. Leila (Or should I say Eliana) looked around her surroundings in a dazed way. "You mean I came from here," she said stupidly before she passed out. I ogled down at her as Daniel, Debbie and Alex ran to see if she was all right.  
  
While they did I started to question king zora. "What do you mean how did she return?" I asked, curious as to what he meant. "Ah...well... you see..." What ever he knew he didn't want to give it away but I persevered. "Tell me what's so important about her returning." He sweat dropped and turned away.  
  
"Let me guess," I said peevishly "It has something to do with me." King Zora almost fell over. "Okay, Okay I'll tell you." He gave in as I started to tickle him. His vast blue face went red and he gasped out "The Fairies, You where taken by the fairies..." My shared memory was unlocked and I was sent into a premonition.  
  
*****Flashback*****  
  
The king waited impatiently as an attendant finally emerged from his room. "Congratulations your majesty, the queen has given birth to twin girls." He rushed in to see his wife, now in a clean nightdress, nursing to children. Both of the babe's had golden hair and as they opened their little squinting eye's he noticed that they where a crystal blue.  
  
The queen smiled up at her husband, her eye's shining with joy. He joined her and commented "They're identical." she nodded in reply "Then we will have to give one away." The queen's eye's filled with fear "No" she rasped defiantly. The king shook his head, "I'm sorry but it must be done. I don't know how but they will live very different love's, besides for the sake of our people we can't have twins contending for the throne."  
  
It hurt the queen to admit it but she had to agree with what her husband declared. "They let the youngest be raised by the fairy's. At least they can be trusted with her life."  
  
**********  
  
A few days later as part of the deal with the fairies all the first-born heir's of the races where brought to the fairy fountain outside the castle. They where all placed side by side on the edge of the fountain as the fairies where summoned. They took the children promising to take care of them as they where swallowed in a vortex.  
  
But just as the last one disappeared the queen cried out "Wait, you took Avelia." But it was too late, they where gone, never to be seen again.  
  
*****End flashback*****  
  
****************************  
  
So now you now how they got to the human world. Find out what happens next in chapter 14: Birthright claims. 


	14. Chapter 14 : Birthright Claims

Debbie- Oh Let me out now!  
  
Mage Alia - Not until the end of the chapter.  
  
Debbie- I will kick you for this.  
  
Mage Alia - If you say thing's like that I'll leave you in for the next  
  
chapter as well. But I might just have to let you out for the sake of  
  
it. Alex is driving me nuts.  
  
(switches to a picture of Alex dancing around saying 'I'm out of the  
  
cage, I'm out of the cage.')  
  
Debbie- I know I'll kick him instead.  
  
Mage Alia - Good Idea, in fact I'll let you out now and let Harley into  
  
the room.  
  
Debbie- O_o Oh Goody.  
  
Legend of Zelda : Next Generation.  
  
Chapter 14 : Birthright claims.  
  
As soon as I came out of the premonition I knew the others had seen it too. They where all recovering from the shock as the final pieces fell into place in my mind. The premonition, Impa's recognition and my own prophecy all came together to spell out one thing that was as plain as the nose on my face, we where the heir's, we where the next in line to be the sages.  
  
I think that my reaction was unexpected to all of them, as I started acting like my old human self. My unforgettable insane cackle echoed through Zora's domain scaring most of the zora within earshot. I heard king zora asking Link if I was sane, when he replied that he didn't know Debbie butted in and told him that for me, this was perfectly normal.  
  
When I calmed down the other's just had to ask what I found so funny. I realized that I hadn't told them yet about everything that happened when Link and I went to warn the races of Baldor. By the time I finished explaining they'd come to the same conclusion by themselves. But while we where still figuring it out a thought had crossed my mind and it wasn't exactly friendly for one of the zora. Ruto had slipped off again, my intentions must have been obvious. Now that there was a new sage of water there was nothing protecting her...  
  
"Where have you been?" the others asked me that night when I came back to the room I was sharing with the other girls. I just smiled evilly and said, "Let's just say that someone isn't going to bother Link or me for a while." The next day Ruto was missing. When the king zora went to find her he came back trying to keep himself from laughing. "I say, she disserved that, I have to admit even she was getting too big for her britches as you would say." It left the others wondering what exactly it was that I had done.  
  
But by midday my good mood was waning, Baldor I felt would soon leave the forest so it was decided that those who knew the way would become messengers again. Debbie was going to the desert, Daniel to kakariko village and Alex would finally have his wish to go to Death Mountain. I could have punched him, but we needed the messengers intact.  
  
*************************  
  
"Are you sure that the spell is off the field?" Link was still concerned about it. "Yes I'm sure." I replied for like the hundredth time. He wasn't convinced and insisted using the warp pads. I had to give in after a while, he just wouldn't let up. I was tempted to try and read his mind with a spell but then I remembered what I'd said to myself two nights ago, no I didn't want to know what he was thinking.  
  
Just before we left Leila just had to ask me... "What did you do to Ruto?" I grinned evilly. "Pimples are no one's favorite fungus." She just stared at me, if she didn't know it before she knew it now. I really was mad.  
  
*************************  
  
The song echoed around the chamber again. Rauru, standing by the altar looked up expecting to see one of the other sages, or maybe even the hero of time. What he didn't expect was to see four strange people and Link milling around on the warp pad. He gave a little cry and almost fell over before he stomped up to the young hero.  
  
"Link what is the meaning of this. Why are these people here and why did you use that in front of them?" Rauru demanded to know. Link just stared at the angry old man thinking *He looks even scarier when your this close to him.* But Mathew took the opportunity to say his thoughts aloud.  
  
"Whoa is that guy ugly or what!" Rauru bristled and turned on the ignorant boy. "What did you say!?" He roared in Mathews face before I finally remembered that Link was supposed to be explaining himself. I ended up doing it for him. "Rauru." I thundered with equal ferocity.  
  
He stood strait and shook as he turned round "Yes your highness Zelda." He got a full look at me and instantly started shouting again. "Imposter." He squealed, "Guards there's an impersonator of the Queen." Guards came running from all directions to surround our group. But luckily one of them had been guarding the throne room the day of my second visit. He fell to one knee and franticly whispered for the others to do the same.  
  
Rauru was getting mad, "Get her you fool's." He said loudly but stopped as one of the guards spoke up. "Um, Sage Rauru sir, Um, That's the princess Avelia you're talking to." The name brought back the memory and Rauru let off with a colorful line of words at the solider. "Why didn't you $*#@* tell me, you %*@&$ ^*#(@*&..." It went on for some time before he remembered me again. He started bowing and apologizing. I just gave him a dirty look and we walked off toward the castle.  
  
************************  
  
It was dark outside. "Damn it's the middle of the bloody night. No one will let us in now." Said link. He was not too happy about being held up for something like three hours. "Calm down," I said not happy with the situation myself. "We will just have to sneak in like you do." Link's face wore a confused look then it brightened as he got what I was talking about.  
  
It took an hour to get past the first set of guards. Harley was afraid of the deep water in the moat. So I just kicked him in. Leila had long since gotten over the fact that she had no hair to get wet. Mathew was worried about what lived in there, judging by the color of the water. He ended up floundering round with a boot print on his butt. I really rubbed off on people.  
  
When we got to the courtyard Impa had already sensed us but hadn't bothered to help us. She'd wanted to see for ages how exactly Link got in past the guards so many times. She let us in to the actual castle and took us to see Zelda but left us out-side the door. (I found out later that she didn't want to be blamed for leading us there.)  
  
Balling my fist I pounded on the door and yelled, "Zelda, this is no time for sleeping. Get your royal but out here now!" through the thick wood. It took another fifteen minutes for her to answer. When the door opened Zelda stuck her face out and asked "What are you doing here. It's the middle of the night for crying out loud." "Zelda he's back, Baldor crossed the border into Hyrule yesterday, the forest is holding him prisoner but..."  
  
I faltered at the look of terror on her face, She was scared out of her wits as she strode down the hall and opened a set of locked doors. In the center of the room there was a glow coming from a low table. Impa stepped out of the shadows to greet her but Zelda pushed her aside and stormed up to the table. Grabbing a clear ball she stared intently into it. It clouded and a picture formed in its depths. It showed Baldor smashing against a rock wall in the forest. The place about him was dark with the fall on night but dark light floated around him as he smashed it again and again.  
  
The fear in Zelda's face increased as the wall cracked... "Ok I forgive you for waking me up," she said in a panic, "We have to do something now." She was already in a panic."Zelda." I said to get her attention. "Zelda don't panic, I've already sent some of the others away to get the original sages. Don't worry I've got it under control." Her expression was still anxious as she calmed down but she went into a panic again as the doors crashed open and Darunia walked in with a smile on his face and flanked by another Goron.  
  
The other was strange. He was much smaller than most of the other Gorons I'd seen. black shards of rock stuck out of his head like pointy hair and it, unlike the others was wearing a pair of red shorts held up by a huge belt. But the look on its face reminded me of someone...  
  
"Hi everyone, miss me?"  
  
*************************** So who could this Goron be? Give you one guess who. Watch out for the next chapter... Chapter 15: Secrets and blades. 


	15. Chapter 15 : Secrets and blades

Debbie- ^_^ This is fun! (Debbie is running around after Harley and Alex kicking them.)  
  
Mage Alia- Don't forget to give them one for me. (Hears two shouts)  
  
Debbie- Done it! (Evil laugh)  
  
Mage-Alia- (Smiles) Ok, now that you've had your fun leave Alex and Harley alone. We need them in one piece for the fic.  
  
Debbie- Oh ok (groaning)  
  
Alex and Harley- Yay! ^_^  
  
Mage Alia- (Shakeing her head) Idiots  
  
Legend of Zelda : Next generation  
  
Chapter 15 : Secrets and blades  
  
"I always knew you where a rock-head." I said being the first to recover from the shock of his transformation. Mathew looked like he'd seen a ghost and leila was looking hazy again. Alex, surprisingly enough took the insult as a compliment. Mathew suddenly shouted in a high voice, "What is it?" Leila giggled. "It's a goron you idiot."  
  
That made me look at her. It was all to obvious that she was getting some kind of memory back even if we wernt. I turned back to Alex and Darunia, "What happened? Last time I saw Alex he was human, not that that looked any better..." I jumped out of the way as he finaly lashed out with one giant rock fist. "I wont tell you now." He said sulkyly as a started to laugh.  
  
Seeing him lumber around like that was a scream."Oh you will," I retorted, "I can see you're itching to tell so spit it out." He sat with his back turned for somthing like ten minutes before he sighed exasperatedly, and began to tell the tale.  
  
************************  
  
"When played I the bolero of fire it was like you said. At first it was to hot in the volcanoe but strangely enough before I could put the tunic on I ajusted to the heat. Darunia was there to meet me but he was just staring like Mathew was when I walked in.  
  
"I asked what was wrong and he said "Did you know you just turned into one of my kind." At first I didn't know what he was talking about but then I looked and saw rock instead of skin, I almost passed out at the sight. Since I couldn't jump anymore Darunia had to transport me to the other side of the bridge with magic and it took me an hour just to get the hang of walking again."  
  
Alex went on to report what he'd done but I didn't need to hear that. I waved him off as Debbie and Nabooru entered the room with, Ariel, her second in command close at her heels. When Ariel saw Link she instantly zipped away then reapeared a few seconds later wearing green instead of the usual red. Another two seconds later she was knocked out on the floor after a hurled fire ball hit her squarly in the stomach. (One guess who did that. ^_^)  
  
Nabooru ignored what was going on behind her and spoke to Debbie instead. "It seem's that you Namina are not the only one to have transformed." The manerisums of her gerudo heritage shone past her human mask. She smirked to herself and crossed her arms over her chest standing with a amused look on her face as she watched the new goron before her.  
  
"Yes Alex to has transformed," I said before adding a jibe that made Alex clench his fists, "but I'm afraid it hasn't done much for his brain power." This time Mathew and leila started to laugh quietly untill Alex shot a poisonous glare in their direction. Zelda stepped in and put a stop to our talk. "Enough of the chater. What are we going to do about that menace that you curently have holed up in the forest, or has he been forgotten already."  
  
"Queen Zelda, don't get histerical, have some faith in your sister, she knows what she's doing." Daniels voice came from the door way. He, unsurprisingly, wore the symbol of the Sheikah. "Well now that where mostly all here I might have to explain all this first..." I trailed off waiting for some one to tell me if I did. "It's okay, we are remembering things of our own." The sages present comented.  
  
"Cool." I said getting my cheery mood back. "Now here's the plan. Baldor's traped in the forest right. Well we know he'll find a way out sooner or later so what we have to do is trap him again until we are prepared to take him on and win. We'll need to find a way to seperate him from his army, that will make our job alot easier then we put a spell on him that we know won't hold forever and use that to keep him contained for as long as posible."  
  
Some of the people in the room who worked with battle strategies wherenodding as if it made sence but the others were looking at me as though I was mad, they obviously didn't get it. "Oh no," I said, "Don't make me explain it again.  
  
****************************  
  
The soft scufle of careful footsteps echoed earily loudly in the stillness of the upper floors of the castle. After I'd explained my idea three more times every one agreed to discuss it all in the morning. The others where asleep but being back in the castle made me restless. I couldn't stop my fidgeting so I'd decided to go for a walk, now I stood roughly under the east tower. I don't know what had drawn me there but what ever it was seemed important, other wise it wouldn't have come here on my own.I ran my fingers lightly long the walls as i walked, occasionly thumping a brick with one balled fist. I'd been doing this for a while when one of the bircks I'd pounded sank into the wall! I jumped away in shock but curiosity got the better of me and I came closer. Again I pressed the stone with my hand and this time the whole wall fell away. For a moment I was afraid that I'd broken something but then i saw that the stones that had once covered the gap had mearly slid to the sides.  
  
I walked in silently and flinched as a soft thud told me that the wall had shut again. In the darkness a soft blue light started to shine from what looked like a stair well. Climbing up I followed the light, it grew stronger as I approached a thick wooden door. I brushed it with quivering fingertips and it opened, swinging smothly on silent hinges. The quietness of the room beyond pressed against my ears. I felt anticipation in the air as I crossed to the center of the room and it's only contents.  
  
Six objects sat on pedistools around a seventh. I circled them studying what lay there. On the closest to the door sat a statue of three women on a cloth of yellow silk, the next was a small bow with a full quiver of arrows beside it. It was painted the same green as the cloth beneath it and had tiny etchings of trees and fairys along it. On the pedistol beside that a glint of red caught my eye and I turned to look at a pair of leather guantlets that had a flat ruby embeded in the palm that was surounded by gold wire shaped like bomb flowers.  
  
Beside it glowing gently was what I was sure was a necklace. It had a silver snow flake in it's center with a thousand tiny saphires all around. A tiara on the next pedistool was made of yellow and blue topaz, it radiated energy as I passed it to see a giant sword resting on a stand of deep purple. It's surated edge looked formidible and the red eye on the pommel told me it was a sheikah made weapon.  
  
But it was what lay in the center that caught my attention. The source of the blue light was a book on a book stand that stood within the ring of objects. Two shethed weapons hung beneath it, I reached out as the weapons called to me. I lifted them away from the stand and placed my hand on the hilt of one of them and drew it with a soft shhhhh. The hilt felt all to firmilue in my hand, I knew their names... "White wind... shadow light..." I said it barely louder than a whisper but as soon as I had I knew they belonged to me.  
  
"What is this place?" an awed female voice sounded from behind me, breaking the silence and making me jump voilently. I span round to find Debbie gaping it the items on the pedistools. She reached out on lifted the topaz encrusted tiara on to her bright red hair. It flared into life and a small ball of energy lept from one of her hands to the other. She didn't get time to say anything as the others apeared one after the other to find their own weapon in silence. Finaly all six of the people from the human world stood around in a circle holding what they'ed been called by.  
  
"Wh...Where am I?" Leila whispered as if she had just came out of a trance and was unaware of how she got here. "You are in the east tower." I replied slightly louder as the others came to themselfs. "Whoa did I sleep walk or something?" Alex asked loudly disspelling the magic of the place. He slapped his hand to him forehead but cryed out as Spark of flame sprayed out of the ruby on the guantlet. Leila screamed as the sparks came at her but a blue sheild suddenly apeared to protect her.  
  
"It apears the we've claimed something of a birth right." Daniel said calmly straping the huge sheikah blade to it's sheath on his back. The twang of a bow string brought our attention to Harley as he tested the bow in his hands. Mathew didn't seam to know what the statue meant so he was just standing there stareing at it until it suddenly flashed bright yellow once before it went still, but the most interesting effect came from Debbie. She tried cupping her hands and creating a ball a light energy within them, Alex, leila and Harley all dived out of the way as the beam rushed past their heads. "That was so cool!" she squealed gleefully, "Just like the Goku."  
  
(A/N- Debbie, as you can see, was a really big dragon ball Z nut while she was still human. ^_^)  
  
I shook my head as I clasped the twin scymitars to my belt. "Wether it's cool or not I have a feeling these have been ment for us all along." I said casualy as I tested the balance of the new blades, they where perfect. "I mean if they wern't then these would have been found long ago." I turned my attention to the book on the stand again as I read the cover. "Book of spells." I read aloud. I flicked through the book and spells lept out at me from the pages, from healing to killing, A to Z. But as I turned the page one more time I noticed somthing...  
  
"Hey you guys you've got to see this."  
  
******************************** So what did Stephanie see that could possibly intrest every one else? Find out in the next chapter... Chapter 16 : Past, present and future. 


	16. Chapter 16: Past, present and future

(A/N) It's time you found out something about Stephanie, after all she's telling the story. Stephanie (Aka: Avelia) is a battle crazy blonde, she has always liked fighting, even on earth, she studied ancient warfare and martial arts although she isn't as good at it as Debbie. (See there's even more references to dragon ball z!) She wont take no as an answer, not that you'd want to say that to her anyway, and she's not afraid to fight back.  
  
(Ah sibling rivalry is a wonderful thing! ^_^)  
  
  
  
Legend of Zelda: Next generation.  
  
Chapter 16: past, present and future.  
  
The other's crowded round the book to look at the page. It held a single sentence, I read aloud...  
  
"In past resides the key to future."  
  
"What does that mean?" asked Harley from Alex's shoulder where he had climbed to look at the page. "I think it means that history is to be repeated." Mathew was the one to reply. I realized that this was the first time that he'd volunteered any information. "But what happened last time? Who was it?" Debbie queried. I lifted my hand from the page and the book glowed as the words faded from sight and where replaced by a solitary name.  
  
"Ganondorf?" Leila said in confusion. "From what I know Baldor's invasion holds nothing in common with that of Ganondorf's." "It does," Daniel spoke up, "Haven't you felt its power on him. The third and unaccounted for piece of the Triforce. Baldor holds it as Ganondorf did, he too has been corrupted with its power." It was obvious now that Daniel had pointed it out. We did feel the Triforce of power. It dawned on me that Daniel had matured when he'd been converted to his current state.  
  
"We need help." I said quietly, "We don't know everything about this place like we need to." I shut the book and slid it off the stand as I turned for the door. "Stephanie, where are you going?" Debbie hissed. "To talk to someone." I replied absently leaving them in the tower room.  
  
***************************  
  
"I want you to tell me every detail of when Ganondorf attacked." I said before Link could speak. He was standing on the wall looking out toward the south over the hills. The early morning air bit at my skin as I stood there book in hand waiting for him to tell me what I needed to know. He didn't take his eyes off the horizon as he spoke. "I can't tell you everything." "It doesn't matter tell me what you know." "Do you really  
  
think it would help?" He asked.  
  
It was strange; he had become more and more subdued with every passing moment. "Yes." I said firmly without hesitation. "If I can feel it you can to. We both hold piece's of the Triforce he can't hide it from us." "But how do you know if Baldor will use it in the same way? Baldor is by far a lot smarter than Ganondorf. He knows where Ganondorf made his mistakes and has been careful not to duplicate them." "All the more reason for you to tell me." My voice was sharper than I'd intended it to be. "You know where he made his mistakes too don't you. Don't you see it? In a way we already know Baldor's plans. This has happened before with every new generation of sages but only your family has seen them all."  
  
He flung up his head like a startled animal. "What do you know of my family?" His voice edged on desperation and urgency. I put the book down on the edge of the wall trusting it wouldn't get damaged and took his right hand in both of mine to trace the Triforce through his gauntlets. "It is common knowledge for those who have held the Triforce of wisdom that every first born member of each generation in your family has the potential to become the hero of time. Yours is an ancient blood line Link, there are mentions of the hero of time dotted through out history but they've been hidden until it came to you." I refused to tell him that he would be the last to become the hero of time; I didn't want to think what that could mean.  
  
He gave in. He told me everything of what he knew of Ganondorf and more. In telling him what I'd known I'd knocked down the wall that hid the memories of his predecessors. That knew found knowledge added a whole new dimension to this battle...  
  
And a new advantage.  
  
***************************  
  
By the time he finished telling me everything the sun had risen to its zenith and the castle had been alive for hours. Though no one had disturbed us on the wall... yet. I was just suggesting that we leave anything else until later when a disturbing sound floated over to us on the wind. The howl of a wolfos.  
  
The eerie call put both of us on instant alert. It was uncommon for wolfos to be out of the forest, in daylight no less. Looking out over the wall we noticed that a hundred or so of the damn things had suddenly appeared and started to attack the outer guards. Calls where sounded as the guards started desperately fighting off the overwhelming force.  
  
"It's Baldor." Link exclaimed "He's controlling them from the forest." I nodded in agreement and gave the book to Link for safekeeping. "Lets join the fray shall we." His warrior's heart took over as I jumped over the wall to the lower level. Link shouted out that I was mad before he followed my path, landing with a roll. By the time he stood up I was over the next one shouting gleefully as I hit the ground on the opposite side of the moat to join my friends where they waited eager to try out what they'd found. I noted coolly that Mathew was on the wall with Harley and Leila.  
  
Link landed beside me as I drew my scimitars with one lightning move. He drew his own sword and shield and we where off in a flash. We headed for the largest crowd of wolfos and disappeared in to it. Amidst the white wolfos no one could see us but if they where looking down from the walls they could follow our progress where the wolfos howled and burned in fairy fire. The others deftly wielded what they had without noticing that it had taken but seconds for them to master the magic. It took just ten minutes to clear the grounds completely, not one had escaped.  
  
People on the walls just stared at what had been done; Zelda was there fretting over who ever was down amidst the bodies of the evil possessed animals. Most had still to combust. But from the center of it all came a noise. At first it was faint building strength until it was an audible giggle but as it grew it turned into the familiar insane cackle that could only come from me.  
  
"That was fun." I gasped. I'd had to sit down after so much running around but I couldn't have been any more happier in my life. Link came over then and muttered something like, "A great warrior enjoys the thrill of battle." Before he held an arm out to help me to my feet. Alex, Debbie and Daniel stood by the gate waiting for us.  
  
"Do we know who was controlling them?" Debbie asked. "Isn't it obvious who was." Link retorted to the stupid question with humor. Daniel butted in next, "Baldor isn't going to show any mercy at all. Link, you and Stephanie are going to be on constant alert after this. The way most of the guards where looking at you two it looks like you'll be volunteered by them immediately. I, at least, had the sense to slow down." He said in a fake pompous manner, I grinned while Link groaned. I was all too happy to go on alert if it meant I could use my new swords again.  
  
It took but minutes for Zelda to locate the lot of us and we found ourselves being herded inside the castle again. As soon as we where in the door Zelda took the lead and didn't notice that I'd slipped away. Impa had followed me off but the others, aside from Link and Debbie took no notice of this. I hadn't gotten far when Impa caught up. "Princess what do you know?" She asked, ever one to forget most formalities, not that I minded.  
  
"Ah I knew that keeping any kind of secret from you would be hard although this is one for the sages." I filled her in on my new theory that we could use his own careful planning against him. Impa understood well enough, "That's making a lot more sense than the last plan. Just make sure you let Shiro know your plans." I gave her a confused look before she explained, "Shiro is my son, he was one of those sent with you to protect you."  
  
Thought for a moment then realized that she was talking about Daniel. "Ok no problem, but where did Zelda want to take us before I took the detour?" "Don't worry about that I'll take you their now." she escorted me to the room we'd been in last night as I opened the door all faces turned toward me. "Where have you been?" Zelda bristled peevishly. "Zelda don't get like that with me." I rebuked her for letting the situation get to her. She forced herself to calm down and re-said what she'd been saying.  
  
"Avelia I've told my...our father about you and he wishes to meet you once before he dies. He's old and I feel that his time in this world is short." She was ready to cry. Various people in the room went to comfort her while Impa lead me out again. "Follow me, I'll take you to the king." We walked in silence till we reached a tower room. Impa tapped gently on the door and stuck her head in before beckoning me in. I heard the door shut behind me as I entered the quiet bedchamber. On the back wall was a curtained bed.  
  
"Who... Who's there?" I feeble voice called, "Come closer so I might see you." I approached nervously. "Your highness please pardon my intrusion." "Ah Zelda, So nice of you to visit again." The king coughed weakly not even having the strength to do even that. "I'm sorry but I'm not Zelda. I am another from long past sent away from my birth place." I came closer and the king said, "Welcome home my daughter, you look so much like your mother. She to was a warrior..." He broke off coughing. "It's a pity that you had to return to see me like this."  
  
He was right in a way, it was pitiful. He had the workings of a great man weaved into his very soul and I had no doubt that he had been a good ruler. Ah fate had funny ways of rewarding the good. I felt that his illness had been long and the damage done to him by it was probably irreversible but in a flash I was tempted to try and heal him. But the clear voice of logic told me that I was just being selfish. I knelt close by and looked into his peaceful face.  
  
"Forgive me." he said suddenly. I gave him a look of confusion, "For what you have done nothing." "I should not have sent you away from Hyrule with the fairies all those years ago, but there was nothing I could do as I realized my mistake to late..." He slipped for a second before trying to finish what he felt he had to say. "But you have returned to late and far from ready to use that which you've been given..."  
  
This time I cut him off. "Oh no, but it didn't matter. I learnt more in the other world than I could here. The humans had dreamed of our world and made it into a game. I still had ways of being here even if you couldn't see me, and I am as prepared as I can ever be. Although it wouldn't hurt to have a bit more experience in these matters other than what I've been taught to do." The old king gave a weak smile. "Oh but if I'm not mistaken you have the Triforce of wisdom don't you." I nodded with out questioning how he knew. "Then it is assured you will go far, even though Zelda has already taken the throne." "I don't want it." My tone told him clearly that there would be no argument, as he had feared. He breathed easier at my reassurance. With his final worry proven as nothing but a silly fear he started to slip away. There was no reason to stay, I took his hand and called out silently for someone, anyone, to come. He died with his parting words embedded in my mind. "You will go far..."  
  
If only he knew how right he had been.  
  
****************************  
  
They'd all come in the end, every one of the sages, new and old, but they where to late. For days after the old kings passing the whole castle had gone into a state of mourning. It bothered me; the grim air pushed me away. We all buried ourselves in work to prepare for Baldor's advance.  
  
Since the wolfos incident there had been other happenings like it. Re- deads, Stalfos, strange skinny things that zipped around destroying what they could and even Dongo's forced out of their caves by the will of the black man.  
  
It was obvious that he'd rather give up on getting out of the forest and concentrate on weakening us. He failed miserably at it. But by the time the forests magic had weakened enough he had conjured an army that made the world shake with the force of its creation.  
  
But one cold gray autumn morning the clouds foreshadowed every thing. Great columns of black smoke sprang up in the south and a black, un-holy power spread in waves that swallowed the temples resurrecting the powerful foes once banished by Link himself. The time of waiting had finished and the true war had only just begun.  
  
**************************  
  
Baldor's power is at its peak and he's back and ready for revenge. But what are these flashes that Stephanie is having, does it really mean that Link with be killed defending Hyrule or is there a deeper magic at work on the hero of time?  
  
Look out for the next chapter...  
  
Chapter 17: Magical spies. 


	17. Chapter 17: Magical spies

(A/N: Ah a little comic relief never went astray. It's getting to serious, hee hee, maybe it's time I let Avelia have a bit of influence over a chapter. Although that might get dangerous. Oh yeah and I was doing some research on my family and I found out that Stephanie's weapons (the twin scimitars) are on my family crest. Cool huh. ^_^)  
  
Legend of Zelda: Next generation  
  
Chapter 17: magical spies.  
  
Sir Quinden, one of the knights on duty, fidgeted. He couldn't keep his mind on being watch sergeant if the people to his right stayed there. As newly appointed military commanders Link and princess Avelia had stayed out on the walls with the watch all night. The knight revised his thoughts as he picked up a small telescope and held it to his eye keeping a general look out for the enemy that was supposed to be coming. But his eyes drooped, he shook himself awake and wished that the next watch sergeant would come and relive him from duty. As far as Quinden was concerned if he didn't see a lavatory with in the next ten minutes they'd have to hose down the walkway.  
  
********  
  
"So are you going to share your plans or are all of them going to be secret?" Link asked has we heard the captain of the last watch run down the stairs. He'd recovered from his glum spell as had most of the others. "No, you'll find out what they are soon enough but I'll tell you this much. Tactics formed under pressure usually work better." I looked back out over the hills with my magic enhanced vision while Link just shook his head. There was silence for a few minutes before something flickered far on the horizon over Hyrule field. I turned my attention to the place and saw the confirming sign just as a magic manipulated wind brought the sound of unsynchronized marching and the terrible roars of the hideous resurrected monsters that made up the bulk of his army. Closer to home was the sound of a horse heading for the walls as fast as it could go. It sounded exhausted.  
  
"So it begins." I said somberly before it turned to face down the wall and roared, "Sergeant!" The man came running over and stood at attention. "Sergeant get you men to direct that horse to the stable entrance and send out the general warning for all stations to be ready to roll out of bed at a moments notice." Link asked, "Where are you going?" as I walked to the back off the platform and started down the steps. "To greet the messenger that's coming in and inform Zelda that I'm going to go out to the town entry and then out to the lookout in the west."  
  
"But why inform her?" He got confused too easily. As not to panic the guards on the wall to soon I stretched up and whispered to him what I'd heard. His eye's widened, "I'll get the extra's to take down to the outer walls." He said quickly and rushed off. I found my sister awake in that room again. From the look of the picture in the scrying ball she'd been watching the wall where Link and I had been standing. She looked up at me, a guilty look on her face. "Ah that's not what it look's like." she said rather flustered. It didn't take a detective to put the pieces together and know she'd been watching for a while. I let it go and got strait to the point reporting what I needed to say before I left for the armory to get the crate of extra arrows the gate soldiers would need.  
  
Our chances would be better if we could wipe out as many as possible before they reached the castle, even if we had to risk men on ground level. But so far our highest security was on the temple of time. A good chunk of Hyrule's elite fighters where stationed there to keep Baldor or anyone from getting to close. To me the whole set-up gave me an intense feeling of deja- vu when I told Link about it he said that a similar defense pattern had been employed like this before. I didn't doubt that.  
  
We took the extra archers down and I rode hell for leather over the hills to the base of the look out tower. Climbing up I had a perfect view of what I hadn't seen to well from the castle walls. Baldor was indeed coming and his army, or at least the size of it, scared me, well almost. "They won't make it tonight." Link said. He'd followed me to the look out and was gouging the distance between the castle and the enemy with a trained eye. "They'll have to stop and hole up during the day but at the speed their going they'll get to the castle very late tomorrow night, maybe after mid- night."  
  
I had to agree with that. I pulled my cloak tighter around myself as the wind picked up. There was the smell of rain in the air, it would start around dawn and finish by nightfall if they where lucky. That would keep the ground bogged by my reckoning, that would slow them down a bit to. I turned to point this out to Link but when I did the words I wanted to say never came out. I felt suddenly aware of everything and realized that we where standing to close. I felt the same thought's come from Link and there was just that moment.  
  
************  
  
"So anything happen yet?" Alex asked Zelda again for the seventieth time that hour. Every other time he'd gotten a 'no' from the queen but this time. "Quick come look at this." She said and the new sages all crowded around the crystal ball peering into it Alex's eye's went wide. "Oh great blackmail stuff." he said but before he could add anything else the Goron found himself pounded face first into the floor with Darunia's fist sticking to the back of his head. "Oh look at the preeetttty stones." He said in a daze and fell unconscious.  
  
"That's no way for a Goron to behave." Darunia lectured the air where Alex had been. As he noticed what he'd done the others noticed what looked like Ruto with bandages all over her face looking into the globe held by Zelda shouting "Oh stop them, stop them someone. Free my love from that vile temptress. Two hundred rupee's for the one that does it," Ruto tried to bribe. Debbie grinned evilly, "I call it..."  
  
************  
  
We got closer and closer, *just an inch more.* I thought...  
  
All of a sudden a glowing orange ball of light appeared right between us level with our eye's. Link jumped back as if nothing had happened while my mind span off cursing. *Bugger, Bugger, Bugger, Bugger...*  
  
"What do you want." A asked the speaking spell rather peevishly and Debbie replied. "Uh I just thought... you... ah... should come back to the castle now ...ah...yeah..." Debbie dropped off speaking as she was drowned out by laughter. The ball of orange light disappeared in a snap,  
  
just before it started to rain.  
  
"Bugger!"  
  
*************  
  
"Okay fish lady fork it over." Debbie held out her hand, the job done. The others where still laughing. Zelda had a tiny smile twisting her lips where as Alex had missed the whole thing. (A/N: Hey do you think I'd let him get away with something like that.) Ruto reluctantly handed it over and went back to her skeaming. She'd had to pop every pimple on her face with a fish bone since she didn't have any nails and more often that not she made herself bleed.  
  
"I'll get you back for that." she said with a smirk but she winced as it pulled on one nasty scar that ran over one eye. She was about to celebrate when she was suddenly hit into the wall by a thick rock hard arm. Darunia, felt a tug, turned around and saw Ruto entangled with the wall before saying, rather stupidly, "Opps."  
  
*************  
  
We rode slowly through the rain on the way back to the castle, there'd been no use in staying at the lookout. I was swearing oath's and curses at Debbie under my breath for a long time. Link got the gist of my angry mutterings. "Oh was it really that bad?" he asked, "Yes," I said, "that proves that they've been spying on us magically all day."  
  
"Do you mean you, me or both when you say that?"  
  
"I mean both."  
  
"Oh no."  
  
I pulled my horse to a stop and looked at him. "That did 'not' sound good." I said putting emphasis on the not. "What where you doing that you don't want anyone to know about." "Ah don't ask me that." He pleaded in a strangled voice. I couldn't help myself it was to good an opportunity to miss. Link started Epona into a trot to try and avoid the question but I caught up easily and persisted to make him squirm. "So come on you can tell me." I goaded him on. "No I can't." he said sounding a little stubborn. "Well then it's not fair. I had to tell you about the reaction test after I slipped. Now you have to tell me something." I was rapidly backing him into a corner, so to speak.  
  
He must have realized this because he suddenly garbled, "OhIwaslookingforsomthingthatIwantedtogivetoyouandnowIthinksomeonescallingme soi'mgonnagonowbye." and kicked Epona into a run for the final stretch to the gate. It took me a good five minutes to work out exactly what he'd said and when I did I grinned to myself. Hey it wasn't that bad. I mean the reaction test was definitely worse. Then I remembered how scared men became when it came down to this kind of stuff, such cowards.  
  
That thought made me giggle but as I handed my horse to the stable hand I remembered the messenger that had arrived after I'd left. Enquiring about it the man was sent for as I found out where the watch sergeant was and went to tell him about the enemy's status. "Keep an eye out for anything that comes ahead of the main force, expect a disturbance but not after dawn." I warned him but then other things needed my attention and I left.  
  
"Oh hell what a lovely time for Link to decide to go hide." I muttered making the near-by guards smirk. I was sorely tempted to just use an amplification spell I'd found in my book to yell at him to get onto the wall now but if I sulked about the reaction stuff then there was no doubt that he would be to. Men, so predictable. I launched a bright green speaking spell to find him. A few minutes later Link's voice came over it. "What do you want now?" he asked in much the same way as I had asked Debbie. "Um, I'm you haven't already noticed the night's not over yet and you need to be on the wall." "But I want to sleep." the spell cut out. "Grrrrrrrrr."  
  
The messenger was one of the men that had been sent to the Gerudo fortress as a just in case. Not that the gerudo's needed any help but in paid off to have the extras. He reported the Baldor had taken the time to go out of his way and attack the fortress. That was bad. If Baldor had been determined to stop the Gerudo forces then he'd probably cut off just about a quarter of our army. I let off with a string of curses from my world, the soldiers where impressed at least. (Hey I've lived around sailors and Monty python all my life what would you expect.)  
  
By the time the hour was out I'd lost my patience with link. He was worse than me, at least I had the decency to do my sulking when I wasn't needed. A pin point spell from the book showed me his exact location and I went looking for the room. Sliding to a stop outside I pounded on the door and yelled through the door that I'd tell what he'd said if he didn't come out right now. There was a frantic scrambling from the room on the other side and a thump as something hit the ground, then Link was standing at the door. I smiled at how well the threat had worked.  
  
(A/N: Ah the things you learn in high school, Blackmail, blackmail and more...you guessed it... Blackmail. ~_^)  
  
Now I had his attention I told him, "Forget about sulking and get outside and help me." He was about to complain when he saw the little vapor lines hovering over my head like in a cartoon. "Ah okay why don't you go and lie down for a while and I'll take care of stuff out here." he suggested. I suddenly went all nice, which I think scared people more than my angry side did. I said thank-you and wondered off down the hall to my room with a little cat like smile on my face.  
  
******************  
  
The atmosphere in the castle the next day was tense. Word had spread of Baldor and the town had been evacuated, no where was really safe now. What little sleep I'd had revived me long enough to find and endurance spell in the book. According to the book the side affects of this spell would cause me to fall into a coma like state until the collective exhaustion had worn off. This worried me because if I dropped the spell prematurely I would be useless. I put that thought aside and spent most of the morning getting wet while I rode around watching the Goron's dig up the path to the town leaving no easy way for Baldor to reach us. But that was just a vain hope. The creatures under his command would easily maneuver the bogs of mud that ran between hills.  
  
It was as twilight fell that the scouts sent to watch the enemy returned. They'd all been chosen for stealth abilities so they could get close enough to count the numbers. They estimated that there were over two and a half thousand creatures of all different species and at least two minor demons under the mad man's control. That news hardly cheered me up but it did spark something inside me. The feeling had gone soon enough though and I'd thought nothing more about it. Night fell to see us making the final preparations. Not that you could ever be ready for anything such as war.  
  
Most people tried to sleep in the peace time before midnight but few succeeded in doing so. When midnight finally arrived the soldiers where silent as they took their positions on the walls with bows and small catapults as well as in the area before the castle. We had nothing to fear from behind. On two sides a rock wall backed the castle grounds so we only had to deal with the front and one side. We spoke in whispers on the wall as many did. Riders signaled from below the gate as they finished assembling horses. We were ready as the first enemy broke the skyline. The dark man on the horse snickered and his eyes scanned the walls and our other defenses. He signaled to something behind him and pointed to the town. The sound of clanking Armour, padding feet and crackling flames rose from behind the hill and I prayed that those men stationed at the gate would realize how to defeat them in time. But all attention was centered on the hill again as the army was finally revealed.  
  
********************  
  
Oh I wouldn't want to be there now. So the main threat to all is finally there and how will they cope against the full barrage of Baldor's power.  
  
Find out in chapter 18 : Heart of battle.  
  
Debbie- Oh yeah, bring it on. I want to fight with the Goku powers.  
  
Mage Alia- Wait will ya. I've barely finished this chapter.  
  
Stephanie- Oh why did you have to butt in like that Debbie?  
  
Debbie- Butt in on what. (Fake innocent look)  
  
Stephanie- But I was just about to kiss him. (peeved)  
  
Debbie- Hey money is money. She paid I delivered.  
  
Alex- (Dazed from Darunia's blow to his head) What did I miss? 


	18. Chapter 18: Heart of battle

Mage-Alia- Okay now that I've gotten THAT out of my system we can pick up the story in a less...  
  
Stephanie/Avelia- oh stuff that. Okay folks here's the story. The big bad black man from the forest has broken free and has purposely put the Gerudo warriors under siege in their fort. Now as our heroes face him face to face (Heehee I said that three times) they have to put all disputes aside as the threat on Hyrule prepares to attack. (Yay!! about time I was getting bored.)  
  
Mage-Alia- (Using demon head technique) Don't take over like that ever again or I will put Link and Ruto together and we both know that's something neither of us want.  
  
Stephanie/Avelia- (shoots back into hiding and say's quickly) I'll be good...  
  
  
  
Legend of Zelda: Next generation  
  
Chapter 18 : Heart of battle.  
  
**********  
  
Baldor's signal brought the first of the evil creatures pouring into view. The yellow speaking spell from Mathew, who was standing at the top of the west tower, popped in to life and gave me the sage of light's final count on the numbers that Baldor had at his disposal. The result wasn't totally unexpected "... and it keeps rising every minute." I looked up and saw the glow coming from the tower window. "Mat, don't go weird on me now." I tried not to let fear into in my voice as I turned my eyes back on the enemy.  
  
While I looked my fear increased. I could hear Link calling commands farther down the wall and realized that despite all I'd learnt I'd had little or no experience beyond that what I'd encountered since I'd arrived. An unfeeling mask covered my face to hide my emotions as the creatures entered our firing range. Taking my cue from Link I brought up my own bow and shouted the identical order as the released arrows whizzed through the air. Wolfos cried out in pain as nearly every arrow hit it's mark. A powerful spirit blast from near the gate rushed toward the on coming stalfos. They hid behind their shields but they disintegrated. Debbie was about to celebrate when more of the damned things flooded in to take the place of those destroyed.  
  
I heard a shout soon after, "Dark wind rising!" a powerful wind ripped out before us and took out some of the lighter species. The spell had come from Daniel with the help of his sword. None of the enemy had reached the gate yet. Fairy fires erupted all over the battle field as the magical creatures combusted. I was starting to gain some confidence when a disaster struck. I'd expected Baldor to wait until a little later until he entered the battle himself. But how wrong had I been. Now floating in the air the evil prince had one hand above his head and was gathering his power for an attack I'd seen too many times.  
  
With a grunt he hurled the dark light strait at us. More importantly, at me! "Damn it." I was looking about in panic until at the last second I had an idea. Stupid as it was I grabbed the hilt of one of my blades and drew it feeling the magic pulse along it's length. The feel of solid steel in my hand brought a little comfort as I took a stance and slapped the ball of dark light with the flat of the blade.  
  
The dark light bounced.  
  
I looked up in surprise to follow its path straight back at Baldor. He looked as surprised as I felt. My mouth curled in to a grin that had trouble written all over it. I forgot my initial fear as the ball made contact with Baldor's black armour. The runes flashed and redirected the ball, now faster, at a spot farther down the wall...and straight into Link.  
  
After seeing me pull the move he'd used when he'd fought Ganondorf, Link was all to ready to hurl the dark light right back. Although this time it didn't reach Baldor. Instead it disappeared on an invisible magical field held by not one but seven mages, all of whom Link recognized as the council he and his friends had died defeating. I saw them in their zombie like state and found only one explanation for them to be alive and using magic. Baldor had studied the black arts. He was a necromancer. Now that was something that I hadn't realized before but it was as obvious as the nose on my face.  
  
I cursed and climbed down into the courtyard bringing up speaking spells as I went. "Everybody report." I said urgently as I climbed the stairs at top speed to reach the tower where Mathew and the rest of the royal family where helping with magic.  
  
"No casualties on the wall. Enemies are getting past the arrows now. They are all hiding beneath shields." "Where doing okay down at the gate but we won't be able to use the more powerful attacks if they get any closer."  
  
Two reports in there was a huge crack that I heard through the stone walls. "What was that?" I asked very quickly. "They've got catapults!" The startled report came from Link. "There's damage to the west walkway and four archers have been taken down." "Leila get down there and try to save them. Find Ruto if you can and have her start using her magic to help out the healers. Use the necklace to deflect any incoming stones." I cut of the spell to Leila and concentrated on the others as the riders where signaled to ride out straight into the on coming hordes. Alex, who had been in charge of handling explosives, told me that powder kegs where currently being hurled into the back lines near Baldor at regular intervals. I warned him not to use up all his ammo to soon as I fell through the door into the tower. Mathew and Zelda hardly noticed me as they where to busy concentrating on a spell. Torlin looked up worriedly. He was impatient because I'd made him stay here.  
  
Crossing the room to the window I peered past the silent spell casters and looked out on the battle from my high vantage point. The enemy mages where wreaking havoc despite everything we where doing. I was getting a little frustrated and was about to leave when I saw Baldor look up. He held his hand high, summoned the dark light and threw it towards the tower. Working quickly I evoked my lightning spell with a slap of my hands, thinning it to a fine rod I hurled the bolt to intercept the dark globe. The lightning bolt punched through it and hurtled on the it's target. The dark globe started to pulse and exploded just before it hit the tower.  
  
The force of the explosion threw me and the other occupants of the tower back into the far wall and when the dust cleared we all saw that the wall had been blown to smithereens. I ran to the gap and looked out in search of my own spell and smiled as I spotted the burnt, twisted remains of a mage. The general feeling of everyone was shock mixed with surprise, but the defenders recovered faster and attacked all the harder.  
  
The enemy was being pushed back when I arrived back on the wall. I gave one look around before a huge stone came sailing through the air. "Shit!" I swore reaching for a spell when a blue wall of light appeared before me. The stone hit it and sunk stretching the light material until it touched the edge of the wall, before it was flung back at hyper speed toward it's launcher. Semi human screams came from behind a hill along with the sound of splintering wood.  
  
"Yahoo!! Take that!" Leila shouted letting her necklace fall back to sit on her throat. heartened by that I made my jump off the wall. I couldn't help what came after that. Amidst all the frenzied fighting I found myself having to much fun. It was just like the first time I'd fought with my scimitars. I ran full on with the weapons lashing out at anything that reached for me. I'd fought my way to the gate and was just about to call a greeting to my friends when the tide of battle was changed.  
  
The remaining six mages had pooled their power to create a spell that instantly made me retch. It was the spell of unraveling. Any spell that was being held or cast at the very moment it was loosed would be taken apart and the spell couldn't be used again for a long time. "Debbie!" I shouted to get her attention. "Tell them to stop using all their spells." She gave me a funny look but obeyed as the unraveling wave swept forward. Allot of the magic based monsters fell apart. When it hit us all of our spells had been subdued so we had very little damage.  
  
I smiled as I stumbled up to my friends, "You can use spells again." I murmured. I felt incredibly tired, my eye's drooped closed but I shook my self awake. 'Oh no.' I thought as my mind slowed. From somewhere in the distance the sound of a body hitting the ground reached my ears. I wondered who's it was as a voice from far away screamed my name. Then it hit me with a jolt. I'd been holding an endurance spell when the unraveling had torn the magic apart. The side effects where taking over. My mind screamed as the darkness of sleep took hold and the light of the sun poured over the edge of the horizon.  
  
********************  
  
I floated in the abyss, a place where there was no light, no darkness, no right or wrong. Just nothing. I'd been here for god knows how long time couldn't be counted here for a moment I thought about what would happen if I couldn't return. I'd be all alone here until my body died and let go.  
  
*You are not alone.* A face loomed out of the darkness and disappeared as fast as it had come. I was shocked into a state of mental awareness and looked franticly around. "Who are you?" I asked breaking the silence in the world of nothing. *We are the people who once served the evil prince.* I suddenly caught wind of a touch of hatred behind the words as shapes merged out of the darkness. They took on the forms of the mages Baldor had resurrected.  
  
*We accepted our fate to die long ago, but our former master saw fit to bring us back to his side using the black magic he holds so dearly.* I let that sink in. "So you didn't want to be resurrected?" I managed to say. They nodded wispy heads. *When we, the spirits, didn't let him he took our bodies and locked us here so we couldn't interfere. Our bodies are mindless shells that obey his every beck and call.* The mage broke off with a noise of disgust.  
  
"Can't you get back?" I asked, "I mean can't you just concentrate and retrieve all your magic then break the bindings?" They gave me a funny look with their wispy heads. *We never thought of that.* I grinned despite myself as they gathered their spirit's in tight and concentrated hard. One by one tiny sparks started to float into the world of nothing. They headed for the mages and settled inside them as the magic trickled faster. Before long it transformed into a stream as it poured into the now glowing forms of the mage spirits.  
  
"You're doing it." I clapped playfully as the last of the magic settled and they looked around in wonder. "Our magic was always black before." One commented. I laughed, "It's light because you have made the choice to use it for a good purpose." They looked at me their eye's wide as they realized exactly who I was. "Princess!" They said each dropping to one knee as the corrupted Hyilian's where transformed to their own state. I smiled broadly beckoning them to stand strait. "There's no time for formalities. You must fight in my place as I can't. The unraveling spell that your body's cast broke the endurance spell that kept me going. I won't be leaving this place anytime soon so I need anyone with magic and are loyal to Hyrule to help destroy Prince Baldor and from what you've shown me you are the ones who should do that. Good luck."  
  
I moved away as they nodded and formed a circle and disappeared, on their way to fight the hardest battle of their lives. I went limp again looking round the nothingness. I was alone again. I started counting sheep in my head and was up to three thousand when five bright multicolored lights came to surround me. *Princess.* They said *Thank the goddess we found you, it's time to leave the abyss.*  
  
*******************  
  
Debbie and the others had all seen Stephanie fall as her spells failed. I her rush to get everyone else to drop theirs she'd forgotten her own. They held the enemy back ordering soldiers to protect her at all costs. Upon reaching the princesses limp form they noticed instantly that she'd gone into a deep sleep that no amount of shaking could wake her from. "Get her back inside the castle immediately." Daniel ordered the only course of action. "She's gone into a coma."  
  
Debbie lifted her up but at that moment someone shouted, "I'll take her, you keep fighting." A green blur of a person jumped from the wall over the moat and flashed by sweeping the limp form back into the castle. Debbie recovered and started to fire balls of energy in random places around the gate taking out the enemies that had crept past.  
  
*  
  
The green blur stopped inside the gate and Stephanie was taken by healers. "Thanks...*pant*...for the...*pant*...speed up...*pant*...spell." Impa came out of the shadows by the gate. "My pleasure, soon to be prince Link." She smirked. "Don't call me that." A panicked Link backed away from the sheikah. "Ah but it's so obvious." She said as the armor clad woman melted away into the shadows again. Link breathed a sigh of relief now that Impa was gone. She'd been teasing him about that for the last week. Link gathered that she'd been one of the spies Stephanie had told him about yesterday. Link shook his head and went back to the wall. He wanted to shoot something.  
  
*  
  
Debbie finished her barrage and turned her eye's forward. Cupping her hands to her side she gathered the magic of the head dress but lost it as an incredibly bright light erupted from the mages around Baldor.  
  
*  
  
Stephanie woke with a jolt startling the healers. She cried out and struggled to her feet fighting off waves of darkness. "Get me to the walls." she said desperately, as she stumbled out the door and climbed the stairs to the ramparts. She looked out on the battle field and saw the mages light. Her face split into a grin.  
  
"So the rebellion begins."  
  
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Mage-Alia- ^_^ Now Baldor's in hot water. Lets se how he likes having his own creations turned on him in the next chapter...  
  
Chapter 19 : Where loyalty lies. 


	19. chapter 19: Where loyalty lies

Legend of Zelda: Next generation.  
  
Chapter 19: Where Loyalty lies.  
  
The Hyilian's gathered to the wall to watch as the light from the mages intensified. When it receded in their place stood seven Hyilian's. They blazed with power as they advanced on their former master. Baldor had no idea what was going on. He looked panicked as he backed away from the mages. "STOP." he yelled in desperation and flung out his hands making movements to ward them away. The mages, now joined mentally, paid him no heed. They continued to advance locking the now scared looking prince in the circle.  
  
Baldor used his most destructive spells in an attempt to get free but failed miserably. I knew why the mages had become so strong. From the abyss flowed the power of it's guardians and that power could be used by people with the right intentions. Baldor's creatures had all halted now. They where confused and without the brainwashing magic they had no purpose. A lot of them just disappeared into thin air, others wondered off and some stayed to continue fighting but practically all of the Hyilian's stood watching events unfold.  
  
"Debbie, Alex, Daniel, Harley, Mathew and Leila get down there now!" I yelled loud enough that all the sages would hear where ever they were. Shocked as they were they got out there as fast as they could. I was last to emerge from the castle gates on to the now pretty much empty battle ground. Debbie gave a cry as she saw me. "But the spell...you..." I just shock my head at her. "Not now, Now we have a job to finish." They all looked back to the glowing cocoon that held Baldor. "Focus all your power and give it to me." I said not taking my eye's off my target. Behind my back they looked at each other, uncertain of what I was going to do, but one by one they fell into place and drew their power to the surface and fed it into me.  
  
I smiled back at them then held up my arms in a spell casting stance. "Great power and light of the sages. Rise to my call and for fill our will. Destroy the evil in this man once and for all." Power built up in a glowing ball between my arms and was sent forward in a blue beam. Baldor looked out of the confines of his prison in time to see the light streak toward him.  
  
Then his world was no more.  
  
***********************  
  
The teenaged sages all fell about with exhaustion. Alex, Mathew, Harley and Leila had passed out and where breathing shallowly. Debbie and Daniel barely held on to consciousness. While Stephanie was the only one standing, although she looked ready to fall over. They'd used every drop of power they had to create that spell. Daniel looked over to where Baldor had been. There was nothing but a crater and a pile of fine ash. He knew then that the evil in Baldor had been to great. That spell had been created in the interests of saving whatever good might have been found in his soul. But obviously that was just wishful thinking. He'd been bad to the bone.  
  
A glitter at the corner of his eye brought Daniel's attention to the mages that now stood before Stephanie. "We wish to leave for the next life but in coming back to life we've made even that impossible." the middle one was saying. "Will you help us princess?" asked another. Daniel fought to hear Stephanie's reply, "Then if you really must go back there is a way." She said cryptically. "Give it to us." The mages looked at her in surprise. Stephanie met the eye's of the middle mage and a look of understanding passed between them. "So it will be Princess Avelia, you and your friends are brave souls indeed to take on this burden." Daniel didn't understand, new thoughts flooded and overloaded his mind.  
  
He joined his friends in dreamless sleep.  
  
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Sorry this chapter was so short. I just had to cover the things that I didn't add in the last chapter. It's coming very close to the end now. ~_~ (Boo hoo.) Bye for now, Mage-Alia. 


	20. Epilogue: Woven Dreams

Legend of Zelda: Next generation.  
  
Epilogue: Woven Dreams.  
  
It was almost two weeks later, the Hyilian's had finished off the remaining monsters on their own with out a lot of magical aid. Zelda had brought the kingdom back to rights and Link had spent those two weeks mopping around as he tried to avoid Impa and her teasing. The Gerudo's had already recovered from the attack on their valley and had retreated back into their desert home. Meanwhile at the castle the others where only just waking up.  
  
*****  
  
"Wakey Wakey rise and shine." I yelled for everyone that resided down that hall to hear. "Go away! I'm trying to sleep." Came the rude reply from Alex and Mathew at the same time. There was a rushing sound from one room and I had to dodge the bright yellow beam the was shot out the door. "Missed." I yelled to Debbie. Leila surprised me and got up complaining that no matter how bad it was for her diet she was going to stuff her face. Daniel was the only one that came without complaint. I'd woken a day before and the fuss I made had meant that I'd just gotten out of bed this morning due to some one leaving Impa alone to long. She'd dumped a jar full of some kind of hot sauce in a glass of water then had someone give it to me. It was funny how a Sheikah warrior, so quiet and knowing, could be so diabolical when it came down to what was inside.  
  
"So what exactly did those mages give us that we where brave to accept, hmmm." Daniel had crept up behind me to ask the question. I gave him a look filled with secrets. "You'll know someday." was all I hinted at. I got the feeling that Daniel would bug me until I told him. Oh well, I'd just have to live with it. Harley had to be dragged (or in this case kicked) out of his room by Debbie. She'd found it a delight to have to go and wake him up. Heh and the only way to get Alex and Mathew out of bed was to threaten them that the food was going to be eaten before they got there. It didn't matter whether there was a meal or not it still worked. Link stayed around all that day. Apparently he'd been helping the kokiri rebuild their homes. (Impa smirked when he said this, he just glared at her.) The forest had recovered with the help of the kokiri and fairy magic.  
  
When night fell we where all to glad to find our beds again. I realized that this had been the first truly happy day we'd seen in Hyrule. When I slept I was taken to another world. Dreams brought me news of the mages who where finally at peace and of the five spirits who had once fought them.  
  
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"What will you do now Avelia?" Link asked me. "You can no longer return to the human world and you are not really needed here in the castle." We where sitting in the library, out side it was raining as the last days of autumn slowly passed into winter. "I don't know." I replied truthfully, honestly not knowing what to do now that the danger from Baldor was gone. "Well..." Link said slowly, "There is something that would solve some of your problems..." He cut himself off as we heard a frantic whispering coming from behind the shelves.  
  
"Hey quit it they'll hear." Someone was saying. "Well stop pinching me and I won't have to do that." "Well he was about to say it." "Uh, wait it's gone quiet." "So what, I'm fine just as long as they...don't...find...us. Oh hi Avelia." I had my arms crossed over my chest and was tapping my foot. A clear indication that I was very peeved. Usually I didn't take the time to make such gestures.  
  
Namina and Endos (Debbie and Alex) were thrown out from behind the shelves a few seconds later and into Links line of vision. "What where you doing." I demanded in a deathly whisper.(A/N- Hey you don't yell in libraries) "Ah we where...ah...tidying the shelves." Namina created a story elbowing Endos to go along. "Yeah we where just putting..." He searched for a book with his hand and picked one from a bottom shelf, "This book away and you just happened to be here so..."  
  
I didn't stay to listen I swept out of the room and off down the hall leaving them breathing sighs of relief. "Well I must say that's a new one, speechless with anger. Oh well at least she didn't use a spell that time." Said Namina when Endos suddenly tapped her shoulder. "Uh I think she did."  
  
**********************  
  
Link found me again above the main gate counting backwards. "4...3...2...1." The moment I said '1' two screams erupted from inside the castle. I giggled and relaxed as everyone went running toward the library wing. "Let me guess," he said, "Reaction test." I grinned wider if it was possible. "That's one they won't forget to soon. So what were you going to say before." I brought up the subject again. Link went nervous almost instantly. "Well I was going to say...uh...willyoumarryme!" Once again he said it to fast and it took me a while to work it out but when I did I just stood there in shock.  
  
When I came back to my senses I turned and saw him looking up into my face expectantly. "I...I..." I didn't know what to say. It was like the time mum had asked me if I wanted to play soccer and that I only had a few minutes to go and sign up. I looked into his face again and it dawned on me that this was one choice I didn't have to think about.  
  
**  
  
"AAAAGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHH NOOOOOOOOOOO!" Ruto screamed. She still watched the pair with the crystal ball. "SOMEONE STOP THEM!" she wailed at the top of her lungs. "Sorry no can do." said Impa who was holding the ball. "Not this time Ruto. This time I've been bribed not to interfere and the two that might have done it for you are being treated for hornet stings as we speak." "NOOOOOOOOO!" Ruto wailed again as she heard saw her worst nightmare come true and heard the damning word being spoken.  
  
**  
  
"Yes."  
  
Link smiled and got to his feet as the sound of another scream rent the air. "Did you hear something?" He asked tipping his head to one side. "No, just Ruto screaming." "Oh okay." He said as we finally did get to kiss.  
  
  
  
The end......................................................................... ............for now. ************************************************************  
  
Mage-Alia- Well it's all over. I just love fairytale endings don't you. Girl gets guy, baddies get whacked and perverts get tortured. (starry eyes)  
  
Debbie- (tries to kick Mage Alia who side steps) Hey I'm NOT a pervert.  
  
Alex- (throws a punch, Mage Alia ducks) Neither am I.  
  
Mage-Alia- Hey no assaulting the author. Anyway it's over now. (Sticks tongue out.)  
  
Avelia- Yay! I get Link, I get Link. From what I hear Ruto is still crying about it.  
  
Alex- Oh so that's why the water has been salty.  
  
(Everyone facefults.)  
  
Mage-Alia- I didn't now how stupid I made you till now.  
  
*******************************************************  
  
Yes I know I'm pathetic, I'm just one of those people who's mind will stray to other things. I know for a fact that for the last few weeks I've been playing solitaire mentally. (Gods I hate that game.)  
  
Well look out for my future stories.  
  
Bye. 


End file.
